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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Designers were clever enough to install a series of waterfalls that spill into the pool to cover up traffic noise from the pool’s location.—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 14 May 2026 Bradley’s film choreography, even in the numbers that Footer deems masterpieces, is above average, clever and assured, but Astaire’s art—inconceivable without the enormous influence of Bradley’s Black contemporaries, like John Bubbles—is in another league.—Brian Seibert, New Yorker, 13 May 2026 But the Iranian people are extremely clever.—Nick Vivarelli, Variety, 12 May 2026 There are even clever cabinets and shelves on sale now, perfect for adding more storage to a small kitchen or tight laundry room.—Paige Bennett, Better Homes & Gardens, 12 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for clever
Word History
Etymology
Middle English cliver, perhaps of Scandinavian origin; akin to Danish dialect kløver alert, skillful