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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That includes clever storage and organizers, which are currently up to 70 percent off this month.—Rylee Johnston, People.com, 27 July 2025 This is not just a clever design feature but a strategic sustainability solution.—Matthew Kayser, USA Today, 26 July 2025 While Astronomer lost their CEO and HR exec amid the Coldplay concert viral scandal, their marketing team has picked up the slack with a clever new ad that enlists Gwyneth Paltrow, the ex-wife of Chris Martin.—Daniel Kreps, Rolling Stone, 26 July 2025 In a clever stroke, Chauhan made the vindaloo with ground lamb, rather than the usual hunks, to nod to the more traditional chili topping.—Hannah Edgar, Chicago Tribune, 26 July 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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