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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The bar is a buzzy and boozy affair from 5 to 6 p.m. daily, where guests and locals gather in a ritualistic ceremony to visit and try some of the clever cocktails (like the Tropical Storm and Drunken Pimento) for which Ooshan has become known.—Paula Conway, Forbes.com, 15 July 2025 Olympia’s ex-husband, Julian (Jason Ritter), the son of the firm’s head (Beau Bridges), is intrigued by Matty and her clever skills.—Rosy Cordero, Deadline, 15 July 2025 Sip clever cocktails in the Kansas City suburbs Fifteen minutes from downtown Kansas City, suburban Shawnee is home to one of the country’s most creative bars, Wild Child.—AFAR Media, 14 July 2025 Around 125,000 years ago, these clever hominins set up camp by the water and systematically processed the bones of at least 172 large animals, including deer, horses, and even aurochs.—Pranjal Malewar, New Atlas, 12 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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