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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in bitter
causing intense discomfort to one's skin
she pulled her coat tighter against the shrewd breeze whipping down the alley
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of shrewd
For De Leon, growing up between Mexico and the United States gave him a shrewd understanding of human behavior.
—
Monica Hunter-Hart, Forbes, 1 Feb. 2025
As the emerging metropolis began to overtake San Francisco as the most populated city in the West, shrewd real estate developers began to cast their eyes up to the foothills of the Santa Monica and San Gabriel mountains.
—Jenny Jarvie, Los Angeles Times, 9 Feb. 2025
Mayberry: Golden State snagging Jimmy Butler was a shrewd move.
—J. Robbins, J. Edwards and D. Mayberry, The Athletic, 8 Feb. 2025
Wiggins arrived in early 2020, the product of a shrewd bit of business by the Warriors to turn Kevin Durant’s departure from the team into D’Angelo Russell, whom the Timberwolves were known to covet.
—Michael Nowels, The Mercury News, 6 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for shrewd
Monica Hunter-Hart, Forbes, 1 Feb. 2025
As the emerging metropolis began to overtake San Francisco as the most populated city in the West, shrewd real estate developers began to cast their eyes up to the foothills of the Santa Monica and San Gabriel mountains.
—Jenny Jarvie, Los Angeles Times, 9 Feb. 2025
Mayberry: Golden State snagging Jimmy Butler was a shrewd move.
—J. Robbins, J. Edwards and D. Mayberry, The Athletic, 8 Feb. 2025
Wiggins arrived in early 2020, the product of a shrewd bit of business by the Warriors to turn Kevin Durant’s departure from the team into D’Angelo Russell, whom the Timberwolves were known to covet.
—Michael Nowels, The Mercury News, 6 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for shrewd
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shrewd
Adjective
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In building preparedness for our longer lives to come, integration will be increasingly part of smart longevity strategies.—
Avivah Wittenberg-Cox,
Forbes,
21 Feb. 2025
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Not refining the budget on paper by playing with numbers, but by being productively smart and undertaking a massive effort of production engineering.—
John Bleasdale,
Variety,
21 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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This summer saw a bitter dispute between the U.S. and China over allegations surrounding doping by Chinese swimmers before the 2021 Tokyo Olympics and suggestions from the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) that WADA had not been strong enough in enforcing its rules.—
Charlie Eccleshare,
The Athletic,
15 Feb. 2025
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Their whirlwind political alliance, however, quickly frayed and deteriorated into a bitter feud in an Asian democracy that has long been hamstrung by clashing political clans.—
arkansasonline.com,
arkansasonline.com,
13 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Reading it, one is reminded, once again, that Trump is a politician who is cunning but semiliterate and ignorant.—
Eliot A. Cohen,
The Atlantic,
13 Feb. 2025
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Sign up The abusive couple were cunning, said Allison Pearson in The Daily Telegraph.—
The Week UK,
theweek,
21 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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Both companies are dominant in their industries and feature very strong, astute leadership.—
StockStory Team,
CNBC,
22 Feb. 2025
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The financially astute among you (which is all of you, dear readers) will have spotted that a $599 phone being paid off at $5.99 a month should take 100 months, right?—
David Phelan,
Forbes,
20 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Hamas had been displaying living hostages and coffins carrying hostage remains on stage in front of a crowd in Gaza before handing them over, to sharp criticism including from the United Nations.—
Reuters,
NBC News,
27 Feb. 2025
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The subcontinent’s slowing economy is also contributing to the sharp correction of its stock market in recent months.—
Seema Mody,
CNBC,
27 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Pair the bottoms with a cute bodysuit or match the top with skirts or shorts, and you're left with multiple outfits in one.—
Jennifer Vermeer,
Travel + Leisure,
24 Feb. 2025
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And the town of Brenham is filled with cute boutiques and restaurants.—
Cynthia Drake,
Southern Living,
23 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Levien, a lawyer and sports executive, was savvy when negotiating with the city for a public investment.—
Cuneyt Dil,
Axios,
20 Feb. 2025
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This is precisely why savvy venture investors understand that their money is ultimately invested in the team—not just the business idea, the product or the startup’s founder.—
Elena Volotovskaya,
Forbes,
20 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Now, 72 hours after being purged because they were considered probationary workers, a biting reality has set in for many of them.—
CNN.com Wire Service,
The Mercury News,
19 Feb. 2025
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For example, a trip to Everglades National Park at the peak of summer could overlap with hurricane season or generally have higher biting insect activity and humid heat.—
Korrin Bishop,
Southern Living,
18 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Shrewd.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shrewd. Accessed 2 Mar. 2025.
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