Synonyms of shrewd

shrewd

adjective

ˈshrüd 

1

as in smart

having or showing a practical cleverness or judgment

a shrewd used car dealer who knew how to make the best possible deal

shrewd investments that paid off big

Synonyms & Similar Words

• smart
• astute
• savvy
• wise
• sharp
• clever
• brilliant
• intelligent
• knowing
• hardheaded
• cunning
• veteran
• experienced
• canny
• keen
• heady
• clear-eyed
• clear-sighted
• sharp-witted
• quick
• wily
• bright
• slick
• sagacious
• sly
• subtle
• perceptive
• insightful
• artful
• perspicacious
• hard-boiled
• crafty
• devious
• cagey
• tricky
• guileful
• foxy
• resourceful
• discerning
• ingenious
• pawky
• sage
• nimble
• percipient
• dodgy
• sapient
• brainy
• discriminative
• discriminating
• agile
• apt
• quick-witted
• calculating
• alert
• scheming
• sharp-eyed
• sharp-sighted

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• naive
• ingenuous
• guileless
• artless
• innocent
• unknowing
• gullible
• unwise
• exploitable
• unperceptive
• dumb
• simple
• dense
• stupid
• obtuse
• foolish
• slow
• dull
• unintelligent
• thoughtless
• idiotic
• dopey
• silly
• feebleminded
• ignorant
• thickheaded
• weak-minded
• brainless
• moronic
• brain-dead
• imbecile
• uninformed
• witless
• dim-witted
• slow-witted
• softheaded
• empty-headed
• gormless
• knuckleheaded
• thick-witted
• lamebrain
• half-witted
• airheaded
• lunkheaded
• birdbrained

2

as in bitter

causing intense discomfort to one's skin

she pulled her coat tighter against the shrewd breeze whipping down the alley

Synonyms & Similar Words

• bitter
• sharp
• biting
• keen
• brisk
• penetrating
• stinging
• piercing
• raw
• cutting
• smarting
• snappy
• caustic
• corrosive
• invigorating
• nippy
• prickly
• needlelike
• tingling

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• gentle
• mild
• soothing
• balmy

3

as in cunning

clever at attaining one's ends by indirect and often deceptive means

a shrewd operator in the real estate game, she made every buyer think they were getting the deal of the century

Synonyms & Similar Words

• cunning
• cute
• slick
• subtle
• wily
• deceptive
• fraudulent
• dishonest
• sly
• treacherous
• crooked
• artful
• crafty
• devious
• cagey
• beguiling
• tricky
• designing
• scheming
• guileful
• foxy
• astute
• deceitful
• calculating
• dodgy
• sharp
• shady
• slippery
• unscrupulous
• glib
• Machiavellian
• sneaky
• covert
• oblique
• shifty
• facile
• plotting
• clandestine
• knavish
• underhanded
• undercover
• hypocritical
• circular
• underhand
• insincere
• serpentine
• roundabout
• secret
• circuitous
• surreptitious
• concealed
• backhanded
• stealthy
• furtive
• insinuating
• smooth-tongued
• two-faced
• mealy
• double-dealing
• left-handed
• mealymouthed
• hugger-mugger

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• ingenuous
• guileless
• artless
• innocent
• obvious
• public
• plain
• simple
• honest
• sincere
• straightforward
• outspoken
• forthright
• real
• direct
• open
• candid
• frank
• unaffected
• unpretentious
• unconcealed
• natural
• unsophisticated
• unvarnished
• patent
• impressionable
• childlike
• unpretending
• unworldly
• aboveboard
• simpleminded
• plainspoken
• undesigning
• unstudied
• trusting
• trustful
• unforced

Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective shrewd differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of shrewd are astute, perspicacious, and sagacious. While all these words mean "acute in perception and sound in judgment," shrewd stresses practical, hardheaded cleverness and judgment.

a shrewd judge of character

When is it sensible to use astute instead of shrewd?

While the synonyms astute and shrewd are close in meaning, astute suggests shrewdness, perspicacity, and diplomatic skill.

an astute player of party politics

When could perspicacious be used to replace shrewd?

The meanings of perspicacious and shrewd largely overlap; however, perspicacious implies unusual power to see through and understand what is puzzling or hidden.

a perspicacious counselor saw through the child's facade

When might sagacious be a better fit than shrewd?

While in some cases nearly identical to shrewd, sagacious suggests wisdom, penetration, and farsightedness.

sagacious investors got in on the ground floor

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of shrewd

As an adolescent, Winston could hardly have imagined the cascading effect of his shrewd eye for color and clarity. — Paige Reddinger, Robb Report, 3 Oct. 2026

Californian Fred Karger, who made history in 2012 as the first openly gay person to run for president, had mixed views about the ad, calling it shrewd yet hypocritical. — Seema Mehta, Los Angeles Times, 3 Oct. 2026

With the blessing of the shrewd but motherly Headmistress Francis (Heather Alicia Simms), Paulina has decided to compete in the Miss Ghana 1986 pageant, hoping to reach the Miss Universe competition. — Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 29 Sep. 2026

The potentially shrewd long game for the Dolphins would be drafting Smith - the top prospect seemingly with the lowest floor and highest ceiling - and then wait until 2028 for a quarterback. — Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 27 Sep. 2026