1
as in innovative
showing a noteworthy use of the imagination and creativity especially in inventing
an inventor who was constantly coming up with clever devices for doing everyday chores
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in intelligent
having or showing quickness of mind
a clever student figured out a trick to do the assignment faster
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in cunning
skillful with the hands
the Shakers were clever artisans who created many ingenious and highly useful devices
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4
as in witty
given to or marked by mature intelligent humor
a clever joke that requires a little bit of thought on the part of the listener
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5
as in inventive
having the skill and imagination to create new things
I wonder what clever person thought of the digital camera
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of clever
This clever little gadget cuts watermelon into cubes — straight from the rind — just by a little push and swipe.
—
Jeaneen Russell, People.com, 29 June 2025
Set in rural Ireland, Shanley’s clever yarn focuses on the unlikely romance between Anthony and Rosemary, longtime neighbors who explore the fine line between love and hate.
—Philip Potempa, Chicago Tribune, 26 June 2025
The clever indoor-outdoor design of Le Paradis means that there are places to relax both inside and out.
—Demetrius Simms, Robb Report, 25 June 2025
Even the cleverest plans leave room for a little improvisation.
—Jack Lang, New York Times, 22 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for clever
Jeaneen Russell, People.com, 29 June 2025
Set in rural Ireland, Shanley’s clever yarn focuses on the unlikely romance between Anthony and Rosemary, longtime neighbors who explore the fine line between love and hate.
—Philip Potempa, Chicago Tribune, 26 June 2025
The clever indoor-outdoor design of Le Paradis means that there are places to relax both inside and out.
—Demetrius Simms, Robb Report, 25 June 2025
Even the cleverest plans leave room for a little improvisation.
—Jack Lang, New York Times, 22 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for clever
Recent Examples of Synonyms for clever
Adjective
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If tokenized equity direct listings are allowed, this wouldn’t be the first time the SEC helped an innovative new product get off the ground.—
Christopher Perkins,
Forbes.com,
1 July 2025
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Excellent cuisine, including innovative bites at the pop-up Morimoto by Sea, a venue operated in partnership with chef Masaharu Morimoto.—
Susan B. Barnes,
Travel + Leisure,
1 July 2025
Adjective
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This demographic is intelligent, tech-savvy and often more financially empowered than younger consumers.—
Lara Devgan,
Forbes.com,
1 July 2025
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Killer whales, also known as orcas, are incredibly intelligent apex predators.—
Margherita Bassi,
Smithsonian Magazine,
30 June 2025
Adjective
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The Residence starred Uzo Aduba as quirky detective Cordelia Cupp, who uses her cunning intellect and obsessive bird-watching abilities to crack otherwise unsolvable cases.—
Andy Swift,
TVLine,
2 July 2025
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As for steps that could be taken in the nineteenth century, Lyell managed to invent a cunning way to determine the relative age of geological strata.—
Lewis Hyde,
Harpers Magazine,
18 June 2025
Adjective
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On July 4, your celestial ruler, Venus, entered the sparkly and witty sign of Gemini, charming your ninth house of experience and self-discovery.—
Valerie Mesa,
People.com,
10 July 2025
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No, really — with her sharp and witty books like this one and The Partly-Cloudy Patriot, Vowell does for history what Neil deGrasse Tyson does for science.—
Brian Boone,
Vulture,
18 June 2025
Adjective
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Readers raved about the inventive New Mexican cuisine and the destination’s natural beauty—sitting at 7,000 feet, Santa Fe is at the foothills of the Sangre de Cristo mountain range and enjoys over 300 days of sunshine per year.—
Elizabeth Cantrell,
Travel + Leisure,
8 July 2025
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Some inventive past examples include a popular touring revue with Ira Glass, a disco dance workout through the galleries of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and a meditation on loneliness in the public atrium of a Financial District shopping mall.—
Brian Schaefer
July 7,
Literary Hub,
7 July 2025
Adjective
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An imaginative builder can put the stones together in all sorts of combinations.—
Jennie Rothenberg Gritz,
Smithsonian Magazine,
1 July 2025
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Verne’s imaginative fiction has inspired more and less faithful screen adaptations since the days of silent movies.—
Robert Lloyd,
Los Angeles Times,
29 June 2025
Adjective
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More recently, the focus was on modernizing its assortment for growing areas like smart home products.—
Jim Edwards,
Fortune,
1 July 2025
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One of the challenges comes from a fundamental problem in how smart city initiatives are executing the ever-changing digital movement.—
Wyles Daniel,
USA Today,
1 July 2025
Adjective
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Mister Terrific, who is not a humorous man but is very funny because of it, gets very huffy over Superman’s jibes and storms off.—
Erik Kain,
Forbes.com,
10 July 2025
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Others saw it as a humorous, if unsettling, glimpse into how AI is increasingly embedded in corporate communications.—
Melissa Fleur Afshar,
MSNBC Newsweek,
10 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Clever.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/clever. Accessed 16 Jul. 2025.
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