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
• cagy
• nimble
• percipient
• dodgy
• sapient
• brainy
• discriminative
• discriminating
• agile
• apt
• quick-witted
• calculating
• alert
• scheming
• sharp-eyed
• sharp-sighted

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• naive
• naïve
• ingenuous
• guileless
• artless
• innocent
• unknowing
• gullible
• unwise
• exploitable
• unperceptive
• dumb
• stupid
• dense
• simple
• obtuse
• foolish
• slow
• dull
• unintelligent
• thoughtless
• idiotic
• dopey
• feebleminded
• silly
• ignorant
• weak-minded
• thickheaded
• brainless
• gullable
• moronic
• brain-dead
• imbecile
• uninformed
• witless
• imbecilic
• dim-witted
• slow-witted
• softheaded
• empty-headed
• lamebrained
• gormless
• knuckleheaded
• lamebrain
• thick-witted
• half-witted
• airheaded
• dopy
• lunkheaded
• idiotical
• 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
• subtle
• slick
• deceptive
• wily
• fraudulent
• dishonest
• sly
• treacherous
• artful
• crooked
• crafty
• devious
• cagey
• designing
• beguiling
• tricky
• scheming
• guileful
• foxy
• astute
• deceitful
• cagy
• calculating
• dodgy
• shady
• sharp
• slippery
• unscrupulous
• glib
• Machiavellian
• covert
• sneaky
• clandestine
• plotting
• oblique
• shifty
• facile
• undercover
• knavish
• underhanded
• hypocritical
• circular
• underhand
• roundabout
• insincere
• secret
• serpentine
• circuitous
• concealed
• surreptitious
• 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

Yet Lincoln proved to be a shrewd strategist, presenting himself as an acceptable and more moderate alternative to a divided convention and capturing the nomination on the third ballot. —Michael Peregrine, Chicago Tribune, 18 May 2025

This isn’t protectionism but simply a shrewd and legal (per the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade) strategic move to put American companies and workers first. —Stephen Moore, Boston Herald, 14 May 2025

Through partnerships with Amazon and Volkswagen Group, strategic government assistance and shrewd manufacturing practices, Rivian is beating the odds. —Eileen Falkenberg-Hull, MSNBC Newsweek, 15 Apr. 2025

Roseman had obtained the 10th pick via shrewd trades, then traded up one spot to get Carter. —Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 Apr. 2025