INDEX:
1. good at learning, thinking, and understanding ideas
2. extremely intelligent
3. quick to understand or make decisions
4. intelligent and well-educated
5. someone who is clever at dealing with people or situations
6. clever in a dishonest or secret way
7. an annoying person who thinks they are clever
8. a clever plan, idea, or way of doing something
9. serious books, ideas etc that are intended for intelligent people
10. the ability to learn well
RELATED WORDS
opposite
↑ STUPID/SILLY
see also
↑ IDEA
↑ LEARN
↑ STUDY
↑ KNOW/NOT KNOW
↑ SENSIBLE
↑ LOGICAL
↑ INVENT
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1. good at learning, thinking, and understanding ideas
▷ intelligent /ɪnˈtelɪdʒ ə nt, ɪnˈtelədʒ ə nt/ [adjective]
having a high level of natural mental ability, so that you are good at thinking, learning, and understanding ideas :
▪ Mark was an intelligent, ambitious young man, with a great future in front of him.
▪ Some scientists claim that dolphins are more intelligent than humans.
highly intelligent
▪ ‘We’re looking for highly intelligent young people, with a genuine interest in their subject,’ a university spokesman said.
▷ clever especially British /smart especially American /ˈklevəʳ, smɑːʳt/ [adjective]
good at learning and understanding things quickly, and at thinking how to solve problems :
▪ He’s a smart kid who works hard and is focused on what he wants to do.
▪ My sister was always much cleverer than me at school.
it is clever/smart of somebody
▪ That was very clever of you, How did you do that?
it is clever/smart of somebody to do something
▪ Dick’s had a bad injury, and it’s probably smart of him not to play sports for a while.
▷ bright /braɪt/ [adjective]
intelligent and likely to be successful - use this especially about children and young people :
▪ Even as a small child, it was obvious that Bobby was very bright.
▪ When I first met her she was a bright young lawyer fresh out of law school.
best and brightest
▪ Companies want to prevent their best and brightest employees from being headhunted by rival organizations.
▷ have a good mind /hæv ə ˌgʊd ˈmaɪnd/ [verb phrase]
to be intelligent and able to think about things clearly, understand things quickly, and solve problems well :
▪ Sean’s teachers told him that he had a good mind and the ability to be an excellent student.
▷ have a high IQ /hæv ə ˌhaɪ aɪ ˈkjuː/ [verb phrase]
to be intelligent according to what you score on a special test :
▪ Both the twins have a high IQ of around 150.
▪ MENSA is an organization for people with high IQs.
▷ gifted /ˈgɪftɪd, ˈgɪftəd/ [adjective usually before noun]
a child who is gifted is much more intelligent and quicker at learning than most other children :
▪ In the past, gifted children have not always been given appropriate educational support.
▪ Bloomsbury House is a special school for girls and boys who are exceptionally gifted.
▷ brainy /ˈbreɪni/ [adjective] informal
very intelligent and especially good at studying :
▪ At school Karen was always one of the brainy ones.
▪ Why don’t you ask Tom to help you with your homework -- he’s incredibly brainy.
2. extremely intelligent
▷ brilliant /ˈbrɪljənt/ [adjective]
a brilliant scientist, student, lawyer etc is one who is extremely intelligent and extremely successful at what they do :
▪ The brilliant physicist Paul Dirac first put forward this theory back in 1990.
▪ a brilliant historian
▷ genius /ˈdʒiːniəs/ [countable noun]
someone with a very high level of intelligence, which only a few people have, especially someone who has original and important ideas :
▪ Perot was a wonderful businessman and a genius in his own way.
mathematical/musical/artistic etc genius
▪ Einstein was probably the greatest mathematical genius of all time.
3. quick to understand or make decisions
▷ quick /kwɪk/ [adjective not usually before noun]
intelligent and able to understand things quickly :
▪ Some children in the class are quicker than others.
▪ She’s very quick and able -- seems to pick things up in no time.
quick at (doing) something
▪ Craig was always quick at maths, but he had trouble with reading and writing.
▷ sharp /ʃɑːʳp/ [adjective]
someone who is sharp understands things very quickly, especially so that it is difficult to deceive or confuse them :
▪ There’s no point lying to her - she’s much too sharp.
razor sharp
extremely sharp
▪ Those lawyers are razor sharp, and you’ve got to be careful about every single word you say.
▷ quick-witted /ˌkwɪk ˈwɪtə̇d◂/ [adjective]
able to understand things quickly and to answer people in an intelligent way :
▪ John was always so quick-witted that I used to think he would have made a good secret agent.
▪ Throughout a lifetime of public service, he proved himself a quick-witted negotiator.
▷ wise /waɪz/ [adjective]
a wise person makes good decisions and gives good advice, because they have a lot of experience of life - use this especially about older people :
▪ She was a wise old woman, and we all valued her advice.
▪ Burton didn’t like what he was hearing, but he was wise enough to keep his thoughts to himself.
wisely [adverb]
▪ The Queen ruled her people wisely for more than 60 years.
▷ be quick on the uptake /biː ˌkwɪk ɒn ði ˈʌpteɪk/ [verb phrase] spoken informal
someone who is quick on the uptake learns new things and understands a situation very quickly :
▪ You’re very quick on the uptake! How did you guess?
▪ We’re looking for new staff - people who are neat, enthusiastic and quick on the uptake.
4. intelligent and well-educated
▷ educated /ˈedjɑkeɪtɪd, ˈedjɑkeɪtədǁˈedʒə-/ [adjective]
someone who is educated is intelligent and knows a lot because they have had a good education, have read a lot etc :
▪ You’re smart, you’re educated, you shouldn’t have any trouble finding a job.
▪ In general, children of educated parents tend to get better grades.
well educated
▪ The boy came from a good home, was well educated and had every advantage.
highly educated
▪ Nadia is a highly-educated, very motivated individual who will go far.
▷ intellectual /ˌɪntɪˈlektʃuəl◂, ˌɪntəˈlektʃuəl◂/ [countable noun]
an intelligent, well-educated person who spends a lot of their time thinking about, writing about, and discussing ideas, literature etc :
▪ It’s an organization of writers, artists and intellectuals, who come together to discuss their ideas.
▪ The restaurant was once the meeting place for leading French left-wing intellectuals such as Sartre and de Beauvoir.
▷ learned /ˈlɜːʳnɪd, ˈlɜːʳnəd/ [adjective] formal
a learned person has read many books and knows a lot about many things, and is greatly respected because of their knowledge :
▪ The old professor was obviously a very learned man.
▪ It’s true that art critics aren’t as learned as art-historians in these matters.
▷ academic /ˌækəˈdemɪk◂/ [adjective]
someone who is academic is very good at studying and does well at school, university etc :
▪ I wasn’t very academic, and l left school at sixteen.
▪ If you’re academic, you can take some of your exams a year or two early.
▪ Teachers must provide challenging activities for their more academic pupils.
▷ brains /breɪnz/ [plural noun]
the most intelligent person or people in a country, organization etc :
the brains
▪ You’d better ask Toby. He’s the brains around here.
best brains
▪ Many of Britain’s best brains have left the country to go and work in America.
▷ intelligentsia /ɪnˌtelɪˈdʒentsiə, ɪnˌteləˈdʒentsiə/ [singular noun] formal
the most intelligent and highly educated people in a society such as the writers, thinkers, and artists :
▪ The demonstrators belong to the middle classes and the intelligentsia, which have suffered most as a result of the government’s economic policies.
5. someone who is clever at dealing with people or situations
▷ clever especially British /smart especially American /ˈklevəʳ, smɑːʳt/ [adjective]
intelligent in a practical way, and able to use your intelligence to get advantages for yourself :
▪ Ben Gurion was a cool, calculating and clever politician.
▪ They won the case by being clever and hiring influential lawyers to help them.
▪ She was smart and knew how to get men to give her whatever she wanted.
clever at doing something
▪ Doug’s always been clever at finding the best deals available.
cleverly [adverb]
▪ Mum cleverly pretended that she hadn’t heard what he’d said.
▷ shrewd /ʃruːd/ [adjective]
a shrewd person is good at deciding what people, situations etc are really like, so that it is difficult to deceive them - use this especially about people who are successful in business :
▪ As a manager, Watson is both shrewd and tough.
▪ Are you a shrewd businessman, quick to see an opportunity or a bargain?
▪ Sachs was a shrewd judge of character, and chose his staff well.
shrewdly [adverb]
▪ They shrewdly invested in copper just as the price started to rise.
▷ astute /əˈstjuːtǁəˈstuːt/ [adjective]
someone who is astute easily understands why people behave in a particular way, why a situation is happening etc, without anyone having to tell them :
▪ Morgan was surprised at how astute she was. ‘How did you know that?’ he asked.
▪ The scale of the riots seemed to surprise even the most astute commentators.
financially/politically etc astute
▪ The President’s wife is often politically astute, ambitious and very influential in White House policy decisions.
astutely [adverb]
▪ As one observer astutely pointed out, ‘A week is a long time in politics.’
▷ canny /ˈkæni/ [adjective]
someone who is canny is very clever, especially in business, so that it is difficult to deceive them and they are able to take advantage of other people :
▪ Pete Chambers is a canny fellow. Not one to miss an opportunity.
▪ She’s far too canny to keep her money in this country. She’s got it safely hidden away in Switzerland, I expect.
▷ resourceful /rɪˈzɔːʳsf ə l, -ˈsɔːʳs-/ [adjective]
clever at finding ways to deal with problems or difficult situations, using whatever material, information etc that is available to you :
▪ We can influence our children’s development by encouraging them to be resourceful when they play.
▪ Keen competition in the arts, crafts and trade made the Greeks an inventive and resourceful people.
▷ streetwise /ˈstriːtwaɪz/ [adjective]
someone who is streetwise has a lot of experience of life in big cities, so they know what to do in difficult or dangerous situations :
▪ He seemed very streetwise for a kid who had just left school.
▪ Zachar is a streetwise guy from New York, a gambler who grew up playing the horses at Belmont Park.
▷ be nobody’s fool /biː ˌnəʊbədiz ˈfuːl/ [verb phrase] informal
to be very difficult to trick or deceive because you have a lot of experience or knowledge of people :
▪ Katherine could look after herself and she was nobody’s fool when it came to money.
6. clever in a dishonest or secret way
▷ cunning /ˈkʌnɪŋ/ [adjective]
a cunning person gets what they want by thinking carefully about it, making secret plans, and deceiving people :
▪ Hawkeye was very cunning - he always waited until his enemy was alone and unarmed before making his attack.
▪ She’s a cunning little devil! She left for school as usual, and then went into town instead with her friends.
cunningly [adverb]
▪ A video camera had been cunningly hidden behind the mirror.
▷ sly /slaɪ/ [adjective]
a sly person secretly deceives people and is always thinking of ways to get advantages for themselves :
▪ Eliot looked sly and deceitful, as though he wasn’t telling us the whole truth.
▪ He’s a sly old devil isn’t he! Nobody knew he had as much money as that!
on the sly
secretly and in a way that deceives people
▪ My parents didn’t approve, but we continued to meet on the sly.
slyly [adverb]
▪ Tom grinned slyly at Fiona, but deliberately said nothing.
▷ crafty /ˈkrɑːftiǁˈkræf-/ [adjective]
a crafty person is good at getting what they want by planning carefully and secretly deceiving people, often in a way that other people admire :
▪ Jerry was crafty -- he got into the match free by crawling under the fence.
▪ Crafty cyber-thieves have found that they can steal a lot of money in electronic bank thefts with very little risk.
craftily [adverb]
▪ ‘Let’s not tell him he’s already paid us once,’ she said craftily.
▷ wily /ˈwaɪli/ [adjective usually before noun]
a wily person has had a lot of experience of getting what they want by tricking people, so that it is very difficult to trick them :
▪ Breen had a reputation for being a tough and wily negotiator.
▪ The Fawcett brothers were too wily to be caught, and the local residents could get no help from the law.
7. an annoying person who thinks they are clever
▷ know-it-all also know-all British /ˈnəʊ ɪt ɔːl, ˈnəʊ ɔːl/ [countable noun] spoken
someone who annoys you because they always think they know the correct answers, know a lot about something etc :
▪ OK, if you’re such a know-it-all, you try and do it, then.
▪ I just wish he’d stop being such a know-all all the time.
▷ smart aleck /ˈsmɑːʳt ˌælə̇k/ [countable noun] informal
someone, especially a young person, who annoys you because they say funny or intelligent things in a rude way :
▪ Glover was different to the rest of us. The son of university people. A smart aleck.
▪ Some smart aleck at the back of the room kept standing up and asking awkward questions.
smart-aleck [adjective]
▪ I’m not going to let some smart-aleck kid make a fool out of me.
▷ smart-ass/wise guy /ˈsmɑːʳt æs, ˈwaɪz gaɪ/ [countable noun] American informal
someone who annoys you because they make jokes or give answers in a rude but funny way :
▪ OK, smart-ass! If I want an answer from you I’ll ask for it.
smart-ass [adjective only before noun]
▪ Some smart-ass college kid started making fun of her accent.
▷ be too clever by half /biː tuː ˌklevəʳ baɪ ˈhɑːfǁ-ˈhæf/ [verb phrase] British informal
use this about someone who uses their intelligence in a way that annoys other people, and will probably get into trouble at some time in the future :
▪ Phil’s good at thinking up excuses for his behaviour - he’s too clever by half.
8. a clever plan, idea, or way of doing something
▷ clever /ˈklevəʳ/ [adjective] especially British
a clever idea, plan, or way of doing something is good and works well :
▪ It sounds like a clever idea. Do you think it’ll work?
▪ Virtual Listening Systems have introduced one of the year’s most unusual and clever new products.
▪ I’ve thought of a really clever way of making money.
▷ intelligent /ɪnˈtelɪdʒ ə nt, ɪnˈtelədʒ ə nt/ [adjective]
an intelligent idea, question etc is thought of or asked by someone who is intelligent :
▪ Have you got any intelligent suggestions to make?
▪ Anne was surprised to hear such an intelligent question coming from a very small child.
▷ ingenious /ɪnˈdʒiːniəs/ [adjective]
an ingenious method, idea, or piece of equipment is cleverly designed to do a job or solve a problem in a very original way :
▪ A scanner is an ingenious device which enables you to feed pictures, photos or documents into a computer system.
▪ American scientists have come up with an ingenious way of getting rid of cockroaches.
▪ The catalogue is full of ingenious ideas for transforming your house into a dream home.
▪ In the end it was Pete who thought of a really ingenious solution to the problem.
▷ neat /niːt/ [adjective]
an idea etc that is clever, simple, and effective :
▪ One of our designers has come up with a neat idea for storing computer disks.
▪ Taking up a sport is a neat way of meeting new people, and it’s good for you too.
▪ It’s a complicated problem, and there’s no neat solution.
▷ smart /smɑːʳt/ [adjective]
a system or machine such as a computer that is smart is cleverly designed and does something effectively :
▪ The new software system is really smart and it’s much quicker to use too.
▷ cunning /ˈkʌnɪŋ/ [adjective]
carefully planned, clever, and intended to deceive people :
▪ They use all kinds of cunning tricks to make people give them money.
▪ His leadership style was to maintain power through a combination of force and cunning strategy.
▪ a cunning marketing ploy
▷ crafty /ˈkrɑːftiǁˈkræf-/ [adjective]
a crafty plan or way of doing something etc is one that is cleverly planned and involves deceiving other people, in a way that people admire :
▪ It was a crafty question. ‘Why are you trying to catch me out?’ he replied.
▪ Jerry and Tony had worked out a crafty way of avoiding paying tax.
▷ inspired /ɪnˈspaɪəʳd/ [adjective]
an inspired idea, plan etc is extremely clever and impressive and is one that someone suddenly thinks of, without knowing how or why :
▪ ‘How did you know the answer to that?’ ‘I didn’t, it was just an inspired guess.’
▪ Even the most inspired forecasts of how prices are going to move can’t be right all the time.
▪ The band represents some of the best young talent that’s around, resulting in a sound that’s both innovative and inspired.
▷ bright idea /ˌbraɪt aɪˈdɪə/ [countable noun]
a clever idea about how to do something :
▪ I like it! It sounds like a really bright idea.
▪ I don’t know what kind of present she’d like -- if you have any bright ideas let me know.
have/come up with the bright idea of doing something
often used humorously
▪ George came up with the bright idea of visiting every pub we passed.
9. serious books, ideas etc that are intended for intelligent people
▷ intellectual /ˌɪntɪˈlektʃuəl◂, ˌɪntəˈlektʃuəl◂/ [adjective]
▪ She likes reading those trendy intellectual magazines about politics and society.
▪ There seemed to be remarkably few cultural or intellectual events for the undergraduates at the university.
▷ scholarly /ˈskɒləʳliǁˈskɑː-/ [adjective only before noun]
a book, article, or other piece of writing that is scholarly deals with a serious subject and is written in a very detailed way after a lot of study :
▪ The organization is dedicated to scholarly research on life in the next millennium.
▪ Fullington discovered 11 new species of land snails and wrote more than 90 scholarly articles and books.
▷ highbrow /ˈhaɪbraʊ/ [adjective]
intended for very intelligent and educated people and therefore not interesting for a lot of people :
▪ He picked up a book that was lying on the floor. It was something highbrow - Kafka, I think.
▪ Readers of tabloid newspapers are less interested in politics and less likely to tune into highbrow news programmes.
▷ profound /prəˈfaʊnd/ [adjective]
something such as an idea or statement that is profound shows a lot of knowledge and understanding of a serious subject :
▪ The book contains a great many profound insights into human behaviour.
▪ Further research has resulted in a more profound appreciation of the problem.
▪ Burton’s lecture was amusing as well as being profound.
▷ serious /ˈsɪ ə riəs/ [adjective]
dealing with a subject in an intelligent and sincere way rather than in an amusing way :
▪ I must admit I find the serious newspapers rather boring.
▪ At school we had to read works by serious writers like Shakespeare and Milton.
10. the ability to learn well
▷ intelligence /ɪnˈtelɪdʒ ə ns, ɪnˈtelədʒ ə ns/ [uncountable noun]
the ability to learn quickly, think clearly, and understand ideas well :
▪ A child’s intelligence develops rapidly between the ages of four and five.
▪ Intelligence cannot be measured just by exam results.
▪ In order to be a pilot you need to be of above average intelligence.
▪ The department bases its selection process on a series of intelligence tests.
▷ brains /breɪnz/ [plural noun]
the ability to think quickly and well, remember a lot of facts, and be good at studying :
somebody’s brains
▪ He has his mother’s brains and his father’s good looks.
▪ With your brains, you should easily get into college.
have the brains (to do something)
▪ Chloe had always been the one with the brains to really make something of herself.
▷ brilliance /ˈbrɪljəns/ [uncountable noun]
a very high level of intelligence and ability :
▪ Eddie’s brilliance brought him top marks in the Harvard entrance exam.
▪ His reputation was founded on his organizational abilities and his acknowledged brilliance as a leader of men.
▷ intellect /ˈɪntɪlekt, ˈɪntəlekt/ [uncountable noun]
the ability to think about and understand and express complicated ideas :
▪ Our physical strength declines with age, but not necessarily our intellect.
the intellect
▪ Joyce’s books seem designed to appeal to the intellect rather than the emotions.
a great/formidable etc intellect
▪ Rehnquist was a great scholar who possessed a formidable intellect.
▷ genius /ˈdʒiːniəs/ [uncountable noun]
an extremely high level of intelligence, ability, and skill which only a few people have :
▪ Could a computer ever achieve the genius of men like Newton and Einstein.
▪ Maurice was always entertaining, but there was a touch of genius in the way he talked that night.
have a genius for (doing) something
▪ Sandra will deal with it. That woman has a genius for organization.
▷ wisdom /ˈwɪzdəm/ [uncountable noun]
knowledge and good judgement based on experience of life :
▪ Paul learned to value his father’s wisdom and advice.
the wisdom of something
▪ Some people were beginning to doubt the wisdom of their leader’s decisions.
conventional wisdom
what is usually considered to be true and right
▪ Conventional wisdom says that the health of the economy is one of the most important factors that determines a president’s chances of winning re-election.