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. 2003Some thought he had no redeeming value whatsoever. A sociopath. A clever manipulator …—Louise Erdrich, New Yorker, 2 Dec. 2002Those 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 1987The 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.
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The argument that Trump has violated the 10th Amendment is a clever subversion of a line of thinking that has traditionally been backed by conservative judges, said Erwin Chemerinsky, the dean of the UC Berkeley School of Law.—Laura J. Nelson, Los Angeles Times, 9 June 2025 That dish is clever, for sure, but it’s served in an oddly gargantuan portion, and its playful clash of textures and temperatures wears out its welcome after a bite or two.—Helen Rosner, New Yorker, 8 June 2025 Barenaked Ladies, Sugar Ray and Fastball Three lively, strident bands known for clever lyrics and fun banter relive the 1990s for you on July 13 at 7 p.m. at the Hartford HealthCare Amphitheater.—Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 8 June 2025 Then there were the clever puns, such as A Kick Up The R’s (QPR), the Leyton Orientear and The Exe-Directory (Exeter City).—Richard Sutcliffe, New York Times, 7 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for clever
Word History
Etymology
Middle English cliver, perhaps of Scandinavian origin; akin to Danish dialect kløver alert, skillful
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