clever
adjective
clev·er ˈkle-vər 
1
a
: skillful or adroit in using the hands or body : nimble
clever fingers
b
: mentally quick and resourceful
a clever young lawyer
2
: marked by wit or ingenuity
a clever solution
a clever idea
the play's clever dialogue
3
dialect
a
: good
b
: easy to use or handle
cleverish
ˈkle-v(ə-)rish
adjective cleverly
ˈkle-vər-lē
adverb cleverness
ˈkle-vər-nəs
noun 
Synonyms
- artful
- creative
- imaginative
- ingenious
- innovative
- inventive
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
All of Laptsev went to stare at the bride-to-be—she was no beauty, but everyone could see that she was clever, sophisticated … 
Isaac Bashevis Singer, New Yorker, 29 Sept. 2003 … the three of them may give Gray Davis, who was too clever for his own good, his comeuppance. Garrison Keillor, Time, 25 Aug. 2003 Some thought he had no redeeming value whatsoever. A sociopath. A clever manipulator … Louise Erdrich, New Yorker, 2 Dec. 2002 Those who can't write poetry, write clever letters to the editor. Those who can't write clever letters to the editor, write angry letters to the editor. Matt Groening, Utne Reader, November/December 1987 The old lady was clever enough and he thought that if she had started from any of the right premises, more might have been expected of her. Flannery O'Connor, Everything That Rises Must Converge, 1967 Some cats are clever enough to figure out how to operate doorknobs. That's the cleverest idea I've heard yet! She found a clever hiding place for the letter. See More
Isaac Bashevis Singer, New Yorker, 29 Sept. 2003 … the three of them may give Gray Davis, who was too clever for his own good, his comeuppance. Garrison Keillor, Time, 25 Aug. 2003 Some thought he had no redeeming value whatsoever. A sociopath. A clever manipulator … Louise Erdrich, New Yorker, 2 Dec. 2002 Those who can't write poetry, write clever letters to the editor. Those who can't write clever letters to the editor, write angry letters to the editor. Matt Groening, Utne Reader, November/December 1987 The old lady was clever enough and he thought that if she had started from any of the right premises, more might have been expected of her. Flannery O'Connor, Everything That Rises Must Converge, 1967 Some cats are clever enough to figure out how to operate doorknobs. That's the cleverest idea I've heard yet! She found a clever hiding place for the letter. See More Recent Examples on the Web While there’s a place for clever insults and explosive break-ups in TV scripts, the same can’t be said for corporate America. Lila Maclellan, Fortune, 9 Sep. 2022 With Latifah and Bridges at the wheel much of this could have been played for laughs, upending a boilerplate scenario in a clever, Jordan Peele kind of way while mocking all the southern bigotry. Jordan Mintzer, The Hollywood Reporter, 8 Sep. 2022 But Apple has made some clever software choices to turn a weakness into a feature—and the company did it in a way that few Android phone makers could counter it in exactly the same way. Samuel Axon, Ars Technica, 7 Sep. 2022 Transform dining hall or takeout leftovers in a few clever ways. Audrey Bruno, SELF, 6 Sep. 2022 In that case, there are still some clever ways to determine an approximate, if not exact, build date for the property. Kristine Gill, Better Homes & Gardens, 31 Aug. 2022 Here are five clever ways to hide unsightly TV cords. Mary Cornetta, Better Homes & Gardens, 22 Aug. 2022 In a field experiment, another man devised a clever way to keep fuses, firing caps and matches dry underwater by wrapping them in a condom. Andrew Dubbins, Smithsonian Magazine, 18 Aug. 2022 Are these just musical tributes, or clever ways of gaming the system? Wired, 20 July 2022 See More
Lila Maclellan, Fortune, 9 Sep. 2022 With Latifah and Bridges at the wheel much of this could have been played for laughs, upending a boilerplate scenario in a clever, Jordan Peele kind of way while mocking all the southern bigotry. Jordan Mintzer, The Hollywood Reporter, 8 Sep. 2022 But Apple has made some clever software choices to turn a weakness into a feature—and the company did it in a way that few Android phone makers could counter it in exactly the same way. Samuel Axon, Ars Technica, 7 Sep. 2022 Transform dining hall or takeout leftovers in a few clever ways. Audrey Bruno, SELF, 6 Sep. 2022 In that case, there are still some clever ways to determine an approximate, if not exact, build date for the property. Kristine Gill, Better Homes & Gardens, 31 Aug. 2022 Here are five clever ways to hide unsightly TV cords. Mary Cornetta, Better Homes & Gardens, 22 Aug. 2022 In a field experiment, another man devised a clever way to keep fuses, firing caps and matches dry underwater by wrapping them in a condom. Andrew Dubbins, Smithsonian Magazine, 18 Aug. 2022 Are these just musical tributes, or clever ways of gaming the system? Wired, 20 July 2022 See More Word History
Etymology
Middle English cliver, perhaps of Scandinavian origin; akin to Danish dialect kløver alert, skillful
First Known Use
circa 1595, in the meaning defined at sense 1a
Phrases Containing clever
Kids Definition
clever
adjective
clev·er ˈkle-vər
cleverer; cleverest
1
: having a quick inventive mind
a clever designer
2
: showing intelligence, wit, or imagination
a clever joke
a clever idea
3
: showing skill in using the hands
He was very strong and clever with his knife … Frances Hodgson Burnett, The Secret Garden
Frances Hodgson Burnett, The Secret Gardencleverness
noun
1
as in prowess
mental skill or quickness it takes real cleverness to find a way around the rules Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- prowess
- ability
- talent
- finesse
- resourcefulness
- dexterity
- aptitude
- proficiency
- adroitness
- competence
- efficiency
- expertise
- knack
- competency
- ingenuity
- sleight
- ingeniousness
- artfulness
- capability
- shrewdness
- capacity
- slyness
- cunning
- deviousness
- faculty
- savvy
- guile
- sneakiness
- cunningness
- canniness
- subtleness
- wiliness
- craftiness
- know-how
- slickness
- caginess
- sharpness
- artifice
- foxiness
- cageyness
- craft
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- ineptitude
- incompetence
- ineptness
- inadequacy
- incompetency
- obtuseness
- stupidity
- foolishness
- slowness
- dullness
- dumbness
- dulness
- density
- fatuity
- simpleness
- denseness
- mindlessness
- senselessness
- witlessness
- stupidness
- brainlessness
- dopiness
- doltishness
2
as in skill
subtle or imaginative ability in inventing, devising, or executing something the undeniable cleverness of the negotiator, who managed to get each side to believe that they had won Synonyms & Similar Words
- skill
- skillfulness
- cunning
- artfulness
- adeptness
- deftness
- adroitness
- creativity
- artistry
- art
- ease
- proficiency
- masterfulness
- talent
- ingenuity
- expertise
- finesse
- knack
- inventiveness
- aptitude
- dexterity
- artifice
- handiness
- experience
- flair
- craft
- knowledge
- gift
- expertness
- learning
- know-how
- bent
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- ineptitude
- artlessness
- ineptness
- clumsiness
- awkwardness
- amateurishness
- crudeness
- incompetence
- inefficiency
- rudeness
- incapacity
- inability
- ineffectuality
- ineffectiveness
- inadequacy
- maladroitness
- incapability
- klutziness
- inefficacy
- ineffectualness
- inadequateness
3
as in creativity
the skill and imagination to create new things Cole Porter's overall cleverness with words, including his effortless ability to rhyme and pun Synonyms & Similar Words
- creativity
- creativeness
- ingenuity
- imagination
- inventiveness
- innovativeness
- talent
- ingeniousness
- imaginativeness
- originality
- resourcefulness
- productivity
- productiveness
- invention
- fecundity
- fruitfulness
- capableness
- fertility
- prolificness
- prolificity
- prolificacy
- genius
- giftedness
- muse
- inspiration
- fire
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- dullness
- dryness
- dulness
- astronomised
- astronomises
- astronomising
- astronomize
- astronomized
- astronomizes
- astronomizing
- astronomy
- Astropecten
- astrophels
- astrophic
- astrophil
- astrophile
- astrophoto
- astrophotograph
- astrophotographer
- astrophotographers
- astrophotographic
- astrophotographies
- astrophotographs
- astrophotography
- astrophotos
- astrophyllite
- astrophysical
- astrophysically