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 cut and fit of these is almost bespoke, and very clever.—Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 17 Mar. 2025 This rapid cycle reduces costs, and allows clever businesses to be the first to market trends and consumer feedback updates.—Haokun Qin, Forbes, 17 Mar. 2025 Classical methods of solving these problems, which often involve churning through possible solutions in clever ways, quickly become untenable.—Stephen Ornes, Quanta Magazine, 17 Mar. 2025 Older kids will love watching the charming and clever Ferris fake sick, convince his best friend Cameron to skip school, and take over Chicago, even making a scene on a parade float.—Kara Nesvig, Parents, 12 Mar. 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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