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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Later in the day, your mind finds a clever solution, a useful contact or a whole new point of view.—
Valerie Mesa,
PEOPLE,
1 July 2026 This month was all about the art choices—and a couple clever tricks, too.—
Emily Temple,
Literary Hub,
1 July 2026 The drones over Chapel Hill aren’t just a clever replacement for fireworks.—
Robert J. Szczerba,
Forbes.com,
30 June 2026 The dessert is a clever combination of some of Sam's best products.—
Melissa Locker,
Southern Living,
30 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for clever
Word History
Etymology
Middle English cliver, perhaps of Scandinavian origin; akin to Danish dialect kløver alert, skillful