Someone who is streetwise knows how to deal with difficult or dangerous situations in big cities.
[informal]
The experience did make us tough and streetwise.
...a cocky, streetwise kid who thought he knew it all.
streetwise in British English
(ˈstriːtˌwaɪz)
adjective
attuned to and adept at surviving in an urban, poor and often criminal environment
Also: street-smart, street smart
Derived forms
street wisdom
noun
streetwise in American English
(ˈstritˌwaɪz)
US
adjective
Informal
knowledgeable or shrewd as a result of practical experience gained from living or working in poor urban areas, esp. those where vice and crime are prevalent
Examples of 'streetwise' in a sentence
streetwise
She is a very streetwise young woman.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
There are horses in it who are a lot more streetwise.
The Sun (2015)
He should be a lot more streetwise now and we expect him to get the job done.
The Sun (2015)
Players tend to mellow and become a bit more streetwise as they get older.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
He is a bit more streetwise.
The Sun (2010)
It was all about how savvy, streetwise and urban you could be.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
We should have been a lot more streetwise and also grasped a lot more what it meant and what an opportunity it was.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
In other languages
streetwise
British English: streetwise /ˈstriːtˌwaɪz/ ADJECTIVE
Someone who is streetwise knows how to deal with difficult or dangerous situations in big cities.
I was a cocky, streetwise kid.
American English: streetwise
Arabic: مُحَنَّك
Brazilian Portuguese: malandro
Chinese: 善于在城市生活的
Croatian: snalazi se na asfaltu
Czech: protřelý ve městě
Danish: gadevant
Dutch: door de wol geverfd
European Spanish: espabilado
Finnish: katuelämää tunteva
French: débrouillard
German: gerissen
Greek: έμπειρος από τη ζωή
Italian: sveglio
Japanese: 世慣れた
Korean: 도시 물정에 밝은
Norwegian: storbyvant
Polish: cwaniacki
European Portuguese: desenrascado
Romanian: de cartier
Russian: опытный знающий принципы выживания в большом городе