1
as in ability
mental skill or quickness
it takes real cleverness to find a way around the rules
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of cleverness
But the show’s engagement with this material now often feels perfunctory, more interested in displaying cleverness or swagger than in advancing character.
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Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 6 Jan. 2026
Their tactics exploit teenagers’ greatest strengths, including their technical savvy, cleverness, and ease as native English speakers.
—Amanda Gerut, Fortune, 1 Jan. 2026
His air of louche mischief attended his farces about Dada and James Joyce and moral determinism, his cleverness worn as lightly as a scarf.
—Helen Shaw, New Yorker, 30 Nov. 2025
But that sense of self-conscious cleverness and cutesy desperation is a choice that the movie is now going to have to live with forever.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 25 Nov. 2025
The future will be shaped not by the cleverness of our algorithms, but by the depth of our moral imagination.
—Nicole Brachetti Peretti, Time, 11 Nov. 2025
Surely, his sexuality played a role in his undeniable cleverness.
—Michael Cuby, Them., 24 Oct. 2025
So the question is whether audiences can find any emotional hook amid all this cleverness.
—Kirk Honeycutt, HollywoodReporter, 20 Oct. 2025
That insight — that the key was scale, not cleverness — fundamentally reshaped OpenAI.
—Mackenzie Sigalos, CNBC, 14 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cleverness
Noun
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He was asked to be the signal-caller, and that responsibility seemed to hinder his ability to read and react.—
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The designer, who holds certifications in accessible design, says the triangle’s goal of removing obstructions resonates with today’s emphasis on safe accessibility for kitchen users of all ages and abilities.—
Noun
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Investopedia defines it as a job done outside the office, typically requiring manual labor or skills in a particular trade.—
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Fisher-Price 4-in-1 Activity Table Foster your little one’s motor skills with this activity table that allows babies ages 6 months and up to flip, slide, roll, spin, and press the buttons, wheels, and lights.—
Noun
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This innovative approach not only speeds the design process but also frees up designers to focus on more creative tasks, demonstrating how AI can be used as a tool to augment human creativity rather than replace it.—
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As a member of the Fine Art League of Cupertino, Choudhury volunteers his time and creativity to help people connect and grow through art.—
Noun
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To demonstrate sartorial prowess, pair an oversized sweater vest with a striped button-down and mid-calf boots.—
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Green, not known for his scoring prowess, even hit a couple of 3-pointers and made a free throw on three consecutive possessions in the fourth quarter.—
Noun
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The movie is like a version of Waiting for Guffman (1996) in which the Christopher Guest character was not a buffoon but an earnest striver with grit and (significant) talent.—
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That’s because North Crowley’s talent development, depth, culture and recent success have put the school in a position to compete for championships.—
Noun
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Because Maradona, in a burst of cunning and trickery, also used his hand.—
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Landing a good apartment in New York City can take some cunning.—
Noun
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For their part, many voters always seem to be searching for some idealized candidate who exists only in their imagination.—
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The Visionary Award recognizes an individual who has uniquely and consistently employed the art and science of VFX to foster imagination and ignite future discoveries by way of artistry, invention and groundbreaking work.—
Noun
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This year’s report card, the first issued under Illinois’ new scoring system, showed higher proficiency rates in reading and math.—
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The Wi-Fi is reliable, the weather is mild, English proficiency is high, and the coworking scene is more mature.—
Cite this Entry
“Cleverness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cleverness. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
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