savvy 1 of 3

noun

Definition of savvynext
as in skills
knowledge gained by actually doing or living through something she's an excellent scholar of political science, but lacks the kind of savvy needed to run for public office

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

savvy

2 of 3

adjective

ˈsa-vē How to pronounce savvy (audio)
as in smart
having or showing a practical cleverness or judgment a particularly savvy investor, he was among the first to see the potential in tech stocks

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

savvy

3 of 3

verb

as in to know
to have a clear idea of the man growled, "Don't ever date my daughter again—you savvy?"

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 savvy
Noun
Best Amazon Tech Gifts For the tech-savvy dad, Amazon’s a goldmine for tech gifts that also won’t break the bank. — Alicia Geigel, Southern Living, 7 June 2026 Cassie’s OnlyFans adventures, for interest, were depicted with a kind of sneering derision toward the character’s poor judgement and lack of savvy. — Alison Herman, Variety, 1 June 2026
Adjective
My prior article discusses tax-savvy gifting points for foreign persons. — Virginia La Torre Jeker, Forbes.com, 22 July 2026 The move followed the ousting in a wider government reshuffle last week of tech-savvy reformist Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov, which brought out into the open the deep divisions in the Ukrainian defense leadership. — Reuters, NBC news, 22 July 2026
Verb
There are no easy courses or credentials to make someone AI savvy. — Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Fortune, 29 Apr. 2026 Most airline mobile apps will immediately notify you when your trip is delayed, but flight tracking can help savvy travelers anticipate delays before the departure board officially turns red. — Graham Rapier, Condé Nast Traveler, 17 Mar. 2026 See All Example Sentences for savvy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for savvy
  1. skills
  2. smart
  3. know
  4. experience
  5. astute
  6. understand
  7. expertise
  8. shrewd
Noun
  • His long-term vision is for Frosty Frogs to become more than a dessert shop by serving as a place where young people develop confidence, business skills and leadership experience.
    — Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 26 July 2026
  • Newly promoted from the Arizona Complex League to Low-A San Jose, the Giants’ two top prospects took turns showing off their defensive skills, eliciting cheers and a gasp of disbelief or two from the crowd at Excite Ballpark Saturday night.
    — Andrew Baggarly, New York Times, 26 July 2026
Definition of skills
Adjective
  • The drivers are aging demographics, a growing short- and long-sighted population, and the smart eyewear boom; Euromonitor predicts a 48% compound annual growth rate (CAGR) to 2030 for the latter.
    — Joe Bobowicz, Vogue, 20 July 2026
  • James Salmond, benefits director for the city of Atlanta, says the smart bassinet rental complements other employee benefits involving a newborn such as caregiver leave.
    — Roni Robbins, AJC.com, 20 July 2026
Definition of smart
Verb
  • The statement came a week after the Miami Herald reported that FWC criminal intelligence analysts have been looking at activists’ records in the state’s Driver and Vehicle Information Database, known as DAVID, since 2023.
    — David Goodhue, Miami Herald, 25 July 2026
  • The suit alleges those employees knew the warehouse constructed on the property in 2022 would be used for fireworks storage and operations but did not enforce applicable safety and environmental requirements.
    — Daniel Lempres, Sacbee.com, 25 July 2026
Definition of know
Noun
  • In my mind, there’s no greater outdoor experience than being in the Okefenokee at dusk and dawn.
    — Charles Seabrook, AJC.com, 25 July 2026
  • Browning and Eveland developed the educational curriculum that would provide both an understanding and hands-on experience in a friendly environment where questions are encouraged.
    — Shannon Tyler, Idaho Statesman, 25 July 2026
Definition of experience
Adjective
  • As an astute student of soul, Jasmine Rose Wilson has identified a common thread tying together all the different permutations of the music.
    — Stephen Thomas Erlewine, Pitchfork, 14 July 2026
  • In a summer window that has seen 21-year-old Mateus Fernandes move from West Ham United to Tottenham Hotspur for £85million, a near £50m deal for this six-cap Brazil international can be read as astute business.
    — Carl Anka, New York Times, 10 July 2026
Definition of astute
Verb
  • Confidence is highest for events whose relationship to a warming climate is well understood and well represented in climate models.
    — Deepti Singh, The Conversation, 24 July 2026
  • Among all the senses, smell is perhaps the least well understood.
    — Hannah Docter-Loeb, Scientific American, 24 July 2026
Definition of understand
Noun
  • Typically, during outbreaks like this one, CDC staffers from throughout the agency with different expertise would have been pulled in to help during the surge.
    — Blake Ellis, CNN Money, 20 July 2026
  • The partnership fuses ZeroAvia’s cutting-edge aerospace fuel cell expertise with Safran’s deep roots in propulsion, electrification, and fuel cell testing.
    — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 20 July 2026
Definition of expertise
Adjective
  • Project 2025, produced by the Heritage Foundation, was more shrewd.
    — Marc Novicoff, The Atlantic, 24 July 2026
  • Ackman’s misfires, though, have been offset by some prescient investments in the face of black swan events like the subprime mortgage crisis and COVID, cementing his reputation as one of the shrewdest and most daring risk-takers on Wall Street.
    — Jeff John Roberts, Fortune, 20 July 2026
Definition of shrewd

Browse Nearby Words

savvies
savvy
savvying
See all Nearby Words

Podcast

Theme music by Joshua Stamper ©2006 New Jerusalem Music/ASCAP

Cite this Entry

“Savvy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/savvy. Accessed 27 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on savvy

Nglish: Translation of savvy for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of parochial

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Democracy or Republic: What's the difference?

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

Why does English have so many silent letters?

Every Letter Is Silent, Sometimes: A-Z List of Examples
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Longest Long Words List

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

The Words of the Week - Jul 24

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)
See More

Popular

See More

Democracy or Republic: What's the difference?

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
chain-question-mark
Missing Link Quiz July 2026 Five seconds to figure out the word that fits bot...
See All