quick-witted

adjective

quick-wit·​ted ˈkwik-ˈwi-təd 

: quick in perception and understanding : mentally alert

quick-wittedly adverb

quick-wittedness noun

Synonyms

• intelligent
• clever
• smart
• quick
• fast
• brilliant
• sharp

Choose the Right Synonym for quick-witted

intelligent, clever, alert, quick-witted mean mentally keen or quick.

intelligent stresses success in coping with new situations and solving problems.

an intelligent person could assemble it fast

clever implies native ability or aptness and sometimes suggests a lack of more substantial qualities.

clever with words

alert stresses quickness in perceiving and understanding.

alert to new technology

quick-witted implies promptness in finding answers in debate or in devising expedients in moments of danger or challenge.

no match for his quick-witted opponent

Examples of quick-witted in a Sentence

the quick-witted child easily figured out the trick to making the toy work

Recent Examples on the Web

His friends described him as chubby, awkward and quick-witted to the Statesman. —Audrey Conklin, FOXNews.com, 7 July 2025

Set on the real-life Mackinac Island — a car-free island in Northern Michigan — the story follows Gigi and her mom, Eloise: a quick-witted, complicated mother-daughter duo navigating relationships and reinvention under the watchful eyes of a meddling small-town community. —Lindsay MacMillan, People.com, 1 July 2025

There is certainly no mention of Audrey, a quiet yet quick-witted Black woman who lasted one year as an assistant before moving on to get her teaching degree. —Maris Kreizman july 1, Literary Hub, 1 July 2025

Ardern was quick-witted enough to sparkle on Stephen Colbert and shrewd enough to pass effective climate change legislation and protect a woman’s right to choose. —Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times, 13 June 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1530, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for quick-witted

• acquitted
• admitted
• befitted
• committed
• emitted
• omitted
• outfitted
• outwitted
• permitted
• refitted
• remitted
• submitted

Kids Definition

quick-witted

adjective

quick-wit·​ted

ˈkwik-ˈwit-əd

: quick in thinking and understanding : mentally alert

quick-wittedness noun