noun
Meaning 1
The property of being clever.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Standard Lemma guide
cleverness
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
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General-American: /ˈklɛvɚnəs/
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Received-Pronunciation: /ˈklɛvənəs/
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US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
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CMU ARPABET: K L EH1 V ER0 N AH0 S Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
noun
Meaning 2
Something clever, or done cleverly.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 3
the property of being ingenious
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
- a plot of great ingenuity
- the cleverness of its design
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: ingenuity, ingeniousness
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: superiority, high quality
noun
Meaning 4
intelligence as manifested in being quick and witty
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: brightness, smartness
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: intelligence
noun
Meaning 5
the power of creative imagination
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: inventiveness, ingeniousness, ingenuity
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: creativity, creativeness, creative thinking
Narrower terms: resource, resourcefulness, imagination
History
Etymology
Etymology tree English clever Proto-Germanic *-inōną Proto-Indo-European *-dyé- Proto-Germanic *-atjaną Proto-Indo-European *-tus Proto-Germanic *-þuz Proto-Germanic *-assuz Proto-Germanic *-inassuz Proto-West Germanic *-nassī Old English -nes Middle English -nesse English -ness English cleverness From clever + -ness.
Across languages
Translations
23 source translations are retained for this English entry.
- Bulgarian: интелигентност (inteligentnost) — being clever, mentally sharp
- Bulgarian: способност (sposobnost) — being clever, mentally sharp
- Czech: chytrost — being clever, mentally sharp
- Finnish: fiksuus — being clever, mentally sharp
- Finnish: älli — being clever, mentally sharp
- Gothic: 𐍃𐌽𐌿𐍄𐍂𐌴𐌹 (snutrei) — being clever, mentally sharp
- Ancient Greek: δεξιότης (dexiótēs) — being clever, mentally sharp
- Irish: aibíocht — being clever, mentally sharp
- Irish: abúlacht — being clever, mentally sharp
- Norwegian Bokmål: dyktighet — being clever, mentally sharp
- Romanian: deșteptăciune — being clever, mentally sharp
- Romanian: inteligență — being clever, mentally sharp
- Scottish Gaelic: tapadh — being clever, mentally sharp
- Scottish Gaelic: gliocas — being clever, mentally sharp
- Spanish: inteligencia — being clever, mentally sharp
- Spanish: habilidad — being clever, mentally sharp
- Spanish: listeza — being clever, mentally sharp
- Spanish: agudeza — being clever, mentally sharp
- Spanish: ingenio — being clever, mentally sharp
- Spanish: vivacidad — being clever, mentally sharp
- Spanish: astucia — being clever, mentally sharp
- Finnish: fiksuus — something clever
- Norwegian Bokmål: finurlighet — something clever
Real reading context