# shrewd

Pronunciation: US say "SHROOD" /ʃɹud/; UK

## Adjective

1. Showing cleverness and resourcefulness in the way one handles practical matters.
   - Simple: Clever and practical, good at finding smart ways to get things done.
   - _Locking in the lease before rents climbed was a shrewd move by the restaurant's owners._
   - _One of the shrewdest farmers in the county, he sold half his crop early while prices were high._
2. Clever in a sly or crafty way that relies on tricks and deception.
   - Simple: Clever in a sneaky way, using tricks to get what you want.
   - _The shrewd salesman buried the car's rust problem under a stream of compliments and small talk._
   - _The swindlers were shrewd, posing as bank inspectors to talk retirees out of their savings._
3. Intelligent and knowledgeable, with a keen, perceptive mind.
   - Simple: Smart and well informed, with a quick, sharp mind.
   - _The young midfielder is a shrewd reader of the game, always seeing the pass before the defense does._
   - _She is one of the shrewdest observers of Washington politics writing today._
4. Nearly accurate, coming close to the true answer or figure.
   - Simple: Nearly correct, coming close to the right answer.
   - _The reporter's shrewd estimate of the crowd at forty thousand was within a few hundred of the official count._
   - _I had a shrewd idea of what the house would sell for, and the final offer came within a few thousand dollars._
5. Having the experience and quick wits needed to get by in tough city surroundings. *(colloquial)*
   - Simple: Smart about how things really work in the city, and hard to fool.
   - _Rosa's a shrewd cookie. Nobody on the block ever sold her a hot phone._
   - _You've got to be shrewd to drive a cab in this town, or the riders who skip out on fares will eat you alive._
6. Severe and intense in force, hitting hard as a heavy blow or a fierce attack does.
   - Simple: Very hard and severe, like a heavy hit or attack.
   - _The flood dealt a shrewd blow to the shops along Main Street, and several never reopened._
   - _The horse lashed out and gave the stable hand a shrewd kick on the thigh._
7. Sharp and piercing, cutting through one the way a bitter wind does.
   - Simple: Sharp and cutting, like a very cold wind.
   - _A shrewd north wind came off the prairie and found every gap in our coats._
   - _The frost that morning had a shrewd bite that made our fingers ache through our gloves._

## Adjective

8. Bad or evil in nature, and threatening harm or trouble. *(archaic)*
   - Simple: Bad or evil, and threatening harm or trouble.
   - _They came through shrewd years of drought and debt together._
   - _The rider brought shrewd news from the border, and by nightfall the whole town was barring its doors._
9. Harmful or injurious, apt to do someone real damage or mischief. *(archaic)*
   - Simple: Harmful, and likely to cause damage or trouble for someone.
   - _Whoever cut the fence did the Hendersons a shrewd turn: by morning their cattle were wandering the highway._
   - _The rumor her rivals spread did the young widow a shrewd turn from which her shop never recovered._
10. Sharp in speech, given to scolding others or mocking them with satire. *(archaic)*
   - Simple: Sharp with words, scolding people or making fun of them.
   - _She had a shrewd tongue, and few of her neighbors escaped it for long._
   - _The abbot's shrewd rebuke left the novices red-faced and silent for the rest of the meal._
11. Abusive and ill-tempered, with the nagging, insulting manner of a shrew. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: Bad-tempered and rude, using cruel or insulting words.
12. Foreshadowing what is to come, in the way an omen or a sign does. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: Being a sign of something that is going to happen.

## Origin

From Middle English schrewed ("depraved, wicked," literally "accursed"), from schrewen ("to curse"), from schrewe ("evil or wicked person or thing"), ultimately from Old English sċrēawa ("wicked person," literally "biter"); it is equivalent to shrew + -ed. The sense "cunning" developed in the early 16th century and gradually took on a positive connotation by the 17th century.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/shrewd (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).