astute or sharp in practical matters: a shrewd politician.
keen; piercing.
artful (def. 1).
Archaic. malicious.
Obsolete. bad1.
Obsolete. shrewish.
Origin of shrewd
First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English shrewed, in part representing shrew1 + -ed3 (cf. dogged1, wicked); in part probably past participle of shrewen “to curse,” verb use of shrew1 (see -ed2)
As my colleague Ben Morris wrote years ago, the advantage Beane’s shrewd deal-making brought to Oakland year after year was worth far more than any one star player could have provided the franchise.
If Billy Beane Is Done With Baseball, He’s Left An Indelible Mark|Neil Paine (neil.paine@fivethirtyeight.com)|October 15, 2020|FiveThirtyEight
Tesla’s been shrewd in exploiting a system in which rivals help fund its rise.
Tesla’s biggest profit center is dangerously close to running out of power|Shawn Tully|September 30, 2020|Fortune
Dramatic as the latter move would be, it would be a shrewd one considering how declining linear viewership and accelerating cord cutting is making the economics of operating a cable TV network less tenable.
‘This was the zeitgeist year’: How TV networks sold advertisers on streaming in this year’s upfront|Tim Peterson|September 30, 2020|Digiday
For tech companies, the four-day week incites laser focus and shrewd prioritization.
‘One debt companies are building up is burnout’: Ad tech embraces the four-day working week|Lucinda Southern|September 28, 2020|Digiday
Equal parts bitter tragedy and shrewd satire, it’s a cautionary tale against the ephemeral allures of fame and fortune, as well as an indictment of an industry that exploits and then discards the very people who make it possible in the first place.
‘Sunset Boulevard’ of broken dreams|David Ehrenstein|August 20, 2020|Washington Blade
The deviating family melodrama has, thankfully, been replaced by shrewd spycraft.
‘Homeland’ Season 4: A Stripped-Down and Surprisingly Badass Return to Form|Marlow Stern|September 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
As someone with a shrewd eye for the absurd, it is entirely possible somewhere Joan Rivers is smiling right now.
Joan Rivers: 'Death Is Like Plastic Surgery'|Tim Teeman|September 4, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It stands to reason that nowadays, to do the latter would be shrewd indeed.
Ted Thompson’s Debut Novel Features A 1 Percenter As Its Hero|Stefan Beck|May 6, 2014|DAILY BEAST
According to tradition, the typical Yankee peddler was thought to be so shrewd that he could carve and sell counterfeit nutmegs.
Ted Thompson’s Debut Novel Features A 1 Percenter As Its Hero|Stefan Beck|May 6, 2014|DAILY BEAST
They listen to their shrewd father, Tywin Lannister, smear their dead son in front of his corpse.
Game of Thrones’ Most WTF Sex Scene: Nikolaj Coster-Waldau on Jaime Lannister’s Darkest Hour|Marlow Stern|April 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST
We have a shrewd idea that he may be hanging in the neighbourhood again very shortly.
Punch or the London Charivari, Vol. 148, February 10, 1915|Various
He was a shrewd observer, and had drawn his own conclusions, but discreetly kept them to himself.
Marguerite De Roberval|T. G. Marquis
The replies of Sandilla to various remarks and questions lately put to him are shrewd enough.
The Cape and the Kaffirs|Harriet Ward
A kind, shrewd man was Mr. Boffin, devoted to his wife, whom he greatly admired.
Character Sketches of Romance, Fiction and the Drama, Vol 1|The Rev. E. Cobham Brewer, LL.D.
She was saving and shrewd, with the Scotch-Irish passion for "getting ahead."
Cyrus Hall McCormick|Herbert Newton Casson
British Dictionary definitions for shrewd
shrewd
/ (ʃruːd) /
adjective
astute and penetrating, often with regard to business
artful and craftya shrewd politician
obsolete
piercinga shrewd wind
spiteful
Derived forms of shrewd
shrewdly, adverbshrewdness, noun
Word Origin for shrewd
C14: from shrew (obsolete vb) to curse, from shrew