shrewd´ness

shrewd´ness
shrewd «shrood», adjective.
1. having a sharp mind; showing a keen wit; clever: »

a shrewd argument.

»

He is a shrewd businessman. He was too shrewd to go along with them upon a road which could lead only to their overthrow (James Froude).

2. a) effective; sharp; hard: »

a shrewd thrust, a shrewd blow.

b) Archaic. keen; piercing: »

The night was shrewd and windy (Irving).

3. Archaic or Dialect. malicious; mischievous: »

That shrewd and knavish sprite Call'd Robin Goodfellow (Shakespeare).

4. Obsolete. a) cunning; artful. b) dangerous; injurious: »

That is a shrewd loss (Scott).

c) shrewish: »

Thou wilt never get thee a husband if thou be so shrewd of thy tongue (Shakespeare).

[earlier shrewed malignant, ill-disposed, past participle of shrew, verb, in sense of “to scold, curse”]
shrewd´ly, adverb.
shrewd´ness, noun.
Synonym Study 1 Shrewd, sagacious, astute mean having a sharp or keen mind and good judgment. Shrewd suggests natural cleverness in practical affairs or, sometimes, craftiness: »

She is a shrewd lawyer.

Sagacious implies a wise and far-seeing understanding of practical affairs: »

Lincoln was a sagacious man.

Astute implies shrewdness and sagacity plus the ability of being hard to fool: »

an astute diplomat.


Useful english dictionary. 2012.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • Shrewd — Shrewd, a. [Compar. {Shrewder}; superl. {Shrewdest}.] [Originally the p. p. of shrew, v.t.] 1. Inclining to shrew; disposing to curse or scold; hence, vicious; malicious; evil; wicked; mischievous; vexatious; rough; unfair; shrewish. [Obs.]… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • shrewd´ly — shrewd «shrood», adjective. 1. having a sharp mind; showing a keen wit; clever: »a shrewd argument. »He is a shrewd businessman. He was too shrewd to go along with them upon a road which could lead only to their overthrow (James Froude). 2. a)… …   Useful english dictionary

  • ness — ness·ber·ry; ness·ler·iza·tion; ness·ler·ize; ness·ler s; new·fan·gled·ness; new·ness; news·i·ness; nice·ness; nig·gard·li·ness; nig·gard·ness; nigh·ness; nip·pi·ness; no·ble·ness; nois·i·ness; non·cha·lant·ness; north·er·li·ness; north·ness;… …   English syllables

  • shrewd — [ ʃrud ] adjective * 1. ) able to judge people and situations very well and make good decisions: a shrewd politician a ) used about decisions and judgments: a shrewd marketing strategy 2. ) good at tricking people to get something you want: a… …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

  • shrewd — shrewd; shrewd·ly; shrewd·ness; …   English syllables

  • shrewd — [[t]ʃrud[/t]] adj. er, est 1) astute or sharp in practical matters: a shrewd politician[/ex] 2) keen; piercing 3) artful; marked by cleverness, perceptiveness, etc.: a shrewd choice[/ex] 4) archaic malicious 5) Obs. bad 6) Obs. shrewish •… …   From formal English to slang

  • as|tute´ness — as|tute «uh STOOT, STYOOT», adjective. shrewd, especially with regard to one s own interests; clever; crafty; sagacious: »He was an astute businessman who turned a profit easily. SYNONYM(S): See syn. under shrewd. (Cf. ↑shrewd) ╂[< Latin… …   Useful english dictionary

  • sa|ga´cious|ness — sa|ga|cious «suh GAY shuhs», adjective. 1. wise in a keen, practical way; shrewd. SYNONYM(S): astute, perspicacious. See syn. under shrewd. (Cf. ↑shrewd) 2. resulting from or showing wisdom or sagacity: »He was observant and thoughtful, and given …   Useful english dictionary

  • know´ing|ness — know|ing «NOH ihng», adjective, noun. –adj. 1. having knowledge; well informed: »I have remarked that your knowing people, who are so much wiser than anybody else, are eternally keeping society in a ferment (Washington Irving). SYNONYM(S):… …   Useful english dictionary

  • a|cute´ness — a|cute «uh KYOOT», adjective, noun. –adj. 1. acting keenly on the senses; sharp and severe: »A toothache can cause acute pain. SYNONYM(S): intense. 2. coming quickly to a turning point; brief and severe: »An acute disease like pneumonia reaches a …   Useful english dictionary

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