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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There are also some clever design details, such as the hidden metal speaker grilles, a nod to Bang & Olufsen’s ethos of designing products outside in and inside out with an eye for detail.—Mark Sparrow, Forbes.com, 30 Jan. 2026 These clever lap dogs love quality time with their humans and need regular grooming to keep their wavy coats healthy.—Monica Garske, USA Today, 29 Jan. 2026 MacDonald’s scheme is designed to cap an opponents’ ability to throw deep, yet nonetheless generates a lot of pressure thanks to his pass-rushing personnel and clever blitz packages.—Andrew Callahan, Boston Herald, 29 Jan. 2026 White, however, dodges, aiming toward clever.—Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 29 Jan. 2026 See All Example Sentences for clever
Word History
Etymology
Middle English cliver, perhaps of Scandinavian origin; akin to Danish dialect kløver alert, skillful