'Shrewdness' definitions:
Definition of 'shrewdness'
From: WordNet
noun
Intelligence manifested by being astute (as in business dealings) [syn: shrewdness, astuteness, perspicacity, perspicaciousness]
Definition of 'Shrewdness'
From: GCIDE
- Shrewd \Shrewd\, a. [Compar. Shrewder; superl. Shrewdest.] [Originally the p. p. of shrew, v.t.]
- 1. Inclining to shrew; disposing to curse or scold; hence, vicious; malicious; evil; wicked; mischievous; vexatious; rough; unfair; shrewish. [Obs.] --Chaucer. [1913 Webster]
- [Egypt] hath many shrewd havens, because of the great rocks that ben strong and dangerous to pass by. --Sir J. Mandeville. [1913 Webster]
- Every of this happy number That have endured shrewd days and nights with us. --Shak. [1913 Webster]
- 2. Artful; wily; cunning; arch. [1913 Webster]
- These women are shrewd tempters with their tongues. --Shak. [1913 Webster]
- 3. Able or clever in practical affairs; sharp in business; astute; sharp-witted; sagacious; keen; as, a shrewd observer; a shrewd design; a shrewd reply. [1913 Webster]
- Professing to despise the ill opinion of mankind creates a shrewd suspicion that we have deserved it. --Secker. [1913 Webster]
- Syn: Keen; critical; subtle; artful; astute; sagacious; discerning; acute; penetrating.
- Usage: Shrewd, Sagacious. One who is shrewd is keen to detect errors, to penetrate disguises, to foresee and guard against the selfishness of others. Shrewd is a word of less dignity than sagacious, which implies a comprehensive as well as penetrating mind, whereas shrewd does not. [1913 Webster] -- {Shrewd"ly}, adv. -- {Shrewd"ness}, n. [1913 Webster]
Synonyms of 'shrewdness'
From: Moby Thesaurus
- acumen,
- acuteness,
- animal cunning,
- art,
- artfulness,
- artifice,
- astuteness,
- cageyness,
- callidity,
- canniness,
- cleverness,
- craft,
- craftiness,
- cunning,
- cunningness,
- deviousness,
- discernment,
- discrimination,
- fine Italian hand,
- finesse,
- foxiness,
- gamesmanship,
- guile,
- guilefulness,
- ingeniousness,
- insidiousness,
- inventiveness,
- Italian hand,
- keenness,
- low cunning,
- one-upmanship,
- pawkiness,
- penetration,
- percipience,
- perspicacity,
- readiness,
- resourcefulness,
- satanic cunning,
- sharpness,
- shiftiness,
- slickness,
- slipperiness,
- slyness,
- sneakiness,
- sophistry,
- stealth,
- stealthiness,
- subtility,
- subtilty,
- subtleness,
- subtlety,
- suppleness,
- trickiness,
- wariness,
- wiles,
- wiliness,
- wit