/ ʃruːd; NAmE / adjective ( shrewd·er , shrewd·est )
1.
clever at understanding and making judgements about a situation
SYN astute :
a shrewd businessman
She is a shrewd judge of character.
2.
showing good judgement and likely to be right :
a shrewd move
I have a shrewd idea who the mystery caller was.
► shrewd·ly adverb
► shrewd·ness noun [ U ]
••
WORD ORIGIN
Middle English (in the sense evil in nature or character ): from shrew in the sense evil person or thing , or as the past participle of obsolete shrew to curse . The word developed the sense cunning , and gradually gained a favourable connotation during the 17th cent.