Definitions

from The American Heritageยฎ Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • adjective Having or showing a clever awareness or resourcefulness, especially in practical matters.
  • adjective Disposed to or marked by artful and cunning practices; tricky.
  • adjective Archaic Sharp; penetrating.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • Evil; accursed; malignant; wicked.
  • Having a curst temper; scolding; vixenish; shrewish.
  • Annoying; mischievous; vexatious; troublesome; malicious.
  • Sharp: keen; biting; harsh.
  • Sly; canning; artful; spiteful.
  • Astute; sagacious; discriminating; discerning; smart; sharp: as, a shrewd man of the world.
  • Indicating shrewdness; due to shrewdness; involving or displaying sagacity or astuteness: as, a shrewd remark; a shrewd face.
  • Synonyms Artful, Sly, etc., (see cunning), wily, subtle.
  • Acute, Keen, etc. (see acute), discerning, penetrating, politic, ingenious.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • adjective obsolete Inclining to shrew; disposing to curse or scold; hence, vicious; malicious; evil; wicked; mischievous; vexatious; rough; unfair; shrewish.
  • adjective Artful; wily; cunning; arch.
  • adjective Able or clever in practical affairs; sharp in business; astute; sharp-witted; sagacious; keen

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • adjective showing clever resourcefulness in practical matters
  • adjective artful, tricky or cunning
  • adjective streetwise
  • adjective knowledgeable
  • adjective archaic Scolding, satirical, sharp.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • adjective used of persons
  • adjective marked by practical hardheaded intelligence

Etymologies

from The American Heritageยฎ Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Middle English shrewed, wicked, from shrew, rascal; see shrew.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Middle English shreweย ("evil man"). See shrew

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Examples

  • But Manning claims it was Katherine, not Joe, who gave Michael Jackson his business sense, which he described as shrewd and fair.

    unknown title 2009

  • Scrimgeour stopped too, leaned on his stick and stared at Harry, his expression shrewd now.

    Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince Rowling, J. K. 2005

  • Trae said, "He is described as a shrewd man and an astute judge of character."

    Ishmael Barbara Hambly 2000

  • Trae said, "He is described as a shrewd man and an astute judge of character."

    Ishmael Barbara Hambly 2000

  • Inclined toward Communism to meet the social and political demands of his teeming peoples, he does not openly break with the West in shrewd calculation that only thence can flow the capital and technical know-how to ensure his country's economic survival and its development.

    Muslim and Hindu 1969

  • Inclined toward Communism to meet the social and political demands of his teeming peoples, he does not openly break with the West in shrewd calculation that only thence can flow the capital and technical know-how to ensure his country's economic survival and its development.

    Muslim and Hindu 1958

  • "The home conversation was rich in shrewd remarks, bright with playfulness and humour and occasional flashes of wit."

    Jane Austen: Her Homes and Her Friends 1901

  • His face was long and thin, his expression shrewd and good-natured, his limbs were long and ungainly.

    The Young Miner or Tom Nelson in California Horatio Alger 1865

  • As reports, brother Saif, 40, is known as a shrewd operator and canny businessman, while 39-year-old Saadi enjoyed a brief Italian soccer career.

    The Full Feed from HuffingtonPost.com The Huffington Post News Editors 2011

  • The company is known as a shrewd operator, able to extract efficiencies and savings at every level of business.

    www.startribune.com 2012

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  • The L-rd has rewarded me according to ๐˜ฎ๐˜บ righteousness, according to the cleanness of ๐˜ฎ๐˜บ hands in his sight. To the faithful you show yourself faithful, to the blameless you show yourself blameless, to the pure you show yourself pure, ๐˜ฃ๐˜ถ๐˜ต ๐˜ต๐˜ฐ ๐˜ต๐˜ฉ๐˜ฆ ๐˜ฅ๐˜ฆ๐˜ท๐˜ช๐˜ฐ๐˜ถ๐˜ด ๐˜บ๐˜ฐ๐˜ถ ๐˜ด๐˜ฉ๐˜ฐ๐˜ธ ๐˜บ๐˜ฐ๐˜ถ๐˜ณ๐˜ด๐˜ฆ๐˜ญ๐˜ง ๐˜ด๐˜ฉ๐˜ณ๐˜ฆ๐˜ธ๐˜ฅ. โ€“๐—ฃ๐˜€๐—ฎ๐—น๐—บ๐˜€ ๐Ÿญ๐Ÿด: ๐Ÿฎ๐Ÿฐโ€“๐Ÿฎ๐Ÿฒ

    February 28, 2022

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    March 1, 2022

  • I thought you were a veg*n.

    March 1, 2022

  • As part of COVID safety protocols I had to dispense with the *.

    March 2, 2022