1
as in ability
mental skill or quickness
it takes real cleverness to find a way around the rules
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in skill
subtle or imaginative ability in inventing, devising, or executing something
the undeniable cleverness of the negotiator, who managed to get each side to believe that they had won
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in creativity
the skill and imagination to create new things
Cole Porter's overall cleverness with words, including his effortless ability to rhyme and pun
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of cleverness
The narrative cleverness would only go so far, however, if it were not expertly brought to life.
—
Frank Scheck, HollywoodReporter, 26 Jan. 2026
But the show’s engagement with this material now often feels perfunctory, more interested in displaying cleverness or swagger than in advancing character.
—Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 6 Jan. 2026
Their tactics exploit teenagers’ greatest strengths, including their technical savvy, cleverness, and ease as native English speakers.
—Amanda Gerut, Fortune, 1 Jan. 2026
His air of louche mischief attended his farces about Dada and James Joyce and moral determinism, his cleverness worn as lightly as a scarf.
—Helen Shaw, New Yorker, 30 Nov. 2025
But that sense of self-conscious cleverness and cutesy desperation is a choice that the movie is now going to have to live with forever.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 25 Nov. 2025
The future will be shaped not by the cleverness of our algorithms, but by the depth of our moral imagination.
—Nicole Brachetti Peretti, Time, 11 Nov. 2025
Surely, his sexuality played a role in his undeniable cleverness.
—Michael Cuby, Them., 24 Oct. 2025
That insight — that the key was scale, not cleverness — fundamentally reshaped OpenAI.
—Mackenzie Sigalos, CNBC, 14 Oct. 2025
Frank Scheck, HollywoodReporter, 26 Jan. 2026
But the show’s engagement with this material now often feels perfunctory, more interested in displaying cleverness or swagger than in advancing character.
—Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 6 Jan. 2026
Their tactics exploit teenagers’ greatest strengths, including their technical savvy, cleverness, and ease as native English speakers.
—Amanda Gerut, Fortune, 1 Jan. 2026
His air of louche mischief attended his farces about Dada and James Joyce and moral determinism, his cleverness worn as lightly as a scarf.
—Helen Shaw, New Yorker, 30 Nov. 2025
But that sense of self-conscious cleverness and cutesy desperation is a choice that the movie is now going to have to live with forever.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 25 Nov. 2025
The future will be shaped not by the cleverness of our algorithms, but by the depth of our moral imagination.
—Nicole Brachetti Peretti, Time, 11 Nov. 2025
Surely, his sexuality played a role in his undeniable cleverness.
—Michael Cuby, Them., 24 Oct. 2025
That insight — that the key was scale, not cleverness — fundamentally reshaped OpenAI.
—Mackenzie Sigalos, CNBC, 14 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cleverness
Noun
-
The outages have affected Anastasia’s work, hampering her ability to respond to clients via messaging apps.—
Yuliya Talmazan,
NBC news,
31 Jan. 2026
-
Departing San Jose and taking a plane straight to Phoenix, the Boise State basketball team was keen on putting to rest some of the questions surrounding its ability and ceiling.—
Shaun Goodwin,
Idaho Statesman,
31 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
The designer honors his Azerbaijani heritage, working with artisans from across Azerbaijan and Georgia to create rich, unique textures, while helping to support rural communities and preserve fading artisanal skills.—
Amy O’Brien,
Vogue,
30 Jan. 2026
-
According to a Forbes report, the app store is built on OM1, OpenMind’s modular operating system, which allows developers to create apps that package specific skills for distribution across multiple robot platforms.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
30 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Create Shadow Art Shadow art is a great way to lean into Groundhog Day while also letting kids express their own creativity.—
Marilyn La Jeunesse,
Parents,
31 Jan. 2026
-
Able to operate across the midfield, the 23-year-old would provide bite and physicality during Joelinton’s ongoing injury absence, while also offering creativity in attack, which Newcastle have lacked, especially in away matches.—
James McNicholas,
New York Times,
31 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Destined to remain a niche luxury purchase, the Galaxy Z TriFold is above all else a showcase of Samsung’s industrial design prowess in the foldables segment rather than something the company expects will sell in significant volumes or drive serious revenue.—
Chris Welch,
Bloomberg,
27 Jan. 2026
-
For four decades, Megadeth have been high priests—not the highest, but close—in a church of metal where technical prowess, breakneck tempos, and sneering attitude are the holiest of virtues.—
Eli Enis,
Pitchfork,
26 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
But without freedom, Berdyaev writes, creativeness is impossible.—
Andrew McDiarmid,
Chicago Tribune,
30 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
The movie is like a version of Waiting for Guffman (1996) in which the Christopher Guest character was not a buffoon but an earnest striver with grit and (significant) talent.—
Peter Tonguette,
The Washington Examiner,
9 Jan. 2026
-
That’s because North Crowley’s talent development, depth, culture and recent success have put the school in a position to compete for championships.—
Charles Baggarly,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
9 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Because Maradona, in a burst of cunning and trickery, also used his hand.—
Esteban Campanela,
CNN Money,
25 Nov. 2025
-
Landing a good apartment in New York City can take some cunning.—
Matthew Sedacca,
Curbed,
5 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
For their part, many voters always seem to be searching for some idealized candidate who exists only in their imagination.—
Mark Z. Barabak,
Mercury News,
7 Jan. 2026
-
The Visionary Award recognizes an individual who has uniquely and consistently employed the art and science of VFX to foster imagination and ignite future discoveries by way of artistry, invention and groundbreaking work.—
Erik Pedersen,
Deadline,
6 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Cleverness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cleverness. Accessed 2 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
