/ ˈklevə(r); NAmE / adjective ( clever·er , clever·est )
HELP NOTE : You can also use more clever and most clever .
1.
( especially BrE ) quick at learning and understanding things
SYN intelligent :
a clever child
Clever girl!
How clever of you to work it out!
He's too clever by half , if you ask me (= it annoys me or makes me suspicious) .
➡ note at intelligent
2.
clever (at sth) ( especially BrE ) skilful :
She's clever at getting what she wants.
He's clever with his hands.
3.
showing intelligence or skill, for example in the design of an object, in an idea or sb's actions :
a clever little gadget
What a clever idea!
That (= what you just did) wasn't very clever, was it? (= it wasn't sensible)
4.
( BrE , informal , disapproving ) quick with words in a way that annoys people or does not show respect :
Don't you get clever with me!
► clev·er·ly adverb
► clev·er·ness noun [ U ]
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IDIOMS
see box verb
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WORD ORIGIN
Middle English (in the sense quick to catch hold , only recorded in this period): perhaps of Dutch or Low German origin, and related to cleave to stick to something . In the late 16th cent. the term came to mean (probably through dialect use) manually skilful ; the sense possessing mental agility dates from the early 18th cent.