cleverness

1 mental skill or quickness it takes real cleverness to find a way around the rules Synonyms adroitness, dexterity, finesse, sleightRelated Words ability, aptitude, capability, capacity, faculty, knack, prowess, talent; competence, competency, efficiency, expertise, know-how, proficiency; ingeniousness, ingenuity, resourcefulness; savvy, sharpness, shrewdness; artfulness, artifice, caginess (also cageyness), canniness, craft, craftiness, cunning, cunningness, deviousness, foxiness, guile, slickness, slyness, sneakiness, subtleness, wilinessNear Antonyms inadequacy, incompetence, incompetency, ineptitude, ineptness; brainlessness, denseness, density, doltishness, dopiness, dullness (also dulness), dumbness, fatuity, foolishness, mindlessness, obtuseness, senselessness, simpleness, slowness, stupidity, stupidness, witlessness

2 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 adeptness, adroitness, art, artfulness, artifice, artistry, skill, craft, cunning, deftness, masterfulness, skillfulnessRelated Words dexterity, ease, finesse, handiness; experience, expertise, expertness, know-how, proficiency; creativity, ingenuity, inventiveness, knowledge, learning; aptitude, bent, flair, gift, knack, talentNear Antonyms amateurishness, awkwardness, clumsiness, crudeness, klutziness, rudeness; inability, inadequacy, inadequateness, incapability, incapacity, incompetence, ineffectiveness, ineffectuality, ineffectualness, inefficacy, inefficiencyAntonyms artlessness, ineptitude, ineptness, maladroitness

3 the skill and imagination to create new things Cole Porter's overall cleverness with words, including his effortless ability to rhyme and pun Synonyms creativity, creativeness, imagination, imaginativeness, ingeniousness, ingenuity, innovativeness, invention, inventiveness, originalityRelated Words fecundity, fertility, fruitfulness, productiveness, productivity, prolificacy, prolificity, prolificness; capableness, resourcefulness; genius, giftedness, talent; fire, inspiration, museNear Antonyms dryness, dullness (also dulness)