Synonyms of clever

clever

adjective

ˈkle-vər 

1

as in innovative

showing a noteworthy use of the imagination and creativity especially in inventing

an inventor who was constantly coming up with clever devices for doing everyday chores

Synonyms & Similar Words

• innovative
• imaginative
• inventive
• creative
• ingenious
• useful
• practical
• artful
• sophisticated
• convenient
• intelligent
• handy
• smart
• neat
• original
• adventurous
• novel
• fresh
• complex
• expert
• visionary
• nifty
• gimmicky
• adroit
• tricky
• deft
• groundbreaking
• handsome
• dexterous
• cleverish
• gadgety
• brainy
• sharp

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• unimaginative
• uncreative
• dull
• pedantic
• stodgy
• derivative
• pedestrian
• useless
• hackneyed
• impractical
• unoriginal
• canned
• assembly-line
• cookie-cutter

2

as in intelligent

having or showing quickness of mind

a clever student figured out a trick to do the assignment faster

Synonyms & Similar Words

• intelligent
• smart
• quick
• brilliant
• fast
• exceptional
• sharp
• bright
• keen
• wise
• skilled
• nimble
• educated
• cunning
• quick-witted
• brainy
• alert
• ingenious
• supersmart
• sharp-witted
• resourceful
• creative
• sensible
• astute
• ultrasmart
• insightful
• learned
• hyperintelligent
• literate
• savvy
• apt
• perceptive
• sagacious
• acute
• inventive
• cerebral
• logical
• schooled
• erudite
• knowledgeable
• prudent
• informed
• judicious
• knowing
• reasonable
• scholarly
• trained
• perspicacious
• shrewd
• discerning
• wily
• rational
• sound
• crafty
• heady
• genial
• sane
• highbrow
• well-read
• sapient
• sage
• percipient
• foxy

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• simple
• stupid
• dumb
• slow
• obtuse
• dense
• fatuous
• unintelligent
• opaque
• dopey
• vacuous
• soft
• thick
• dull
• mindless
• witless
• senseless
• brainless
• doltish
• dim
• brain-dead
• boneheaded
• thickheaded
• dunderheaded
• weak-minded
• silly
• dorky
• simpleminded
• foolish
• idiotic
• pinheaded
• softheaded
• feebleminded
• moronic
• dim-witted
• lamebrain
• gormless
• imbecile
• empty-headed
• ignorant
• unsmart
• slow-witted
• unbrilliant
• knuckleheaded
• lunkheaded
• half-witted
• airheaded
• bubbleheaded
• chuckleheaded
• thick-witted
• uneducated
• uninformed
• illiterate
• birdbrained
• absurd
• unthinking
• zany
• wacky
• mad
• crazy
• insane
• unwise
• unintellectual
• untaught
• preposterous
• lowbrow
• nonsensical
• kooky
• unacademic
• daft
• nonintellectual
• nutty
• fool
• loony
• asinine
• harebrained
• cuckoo
• daffy
• dippy
• sappy
• half-baked
• dotty
• screwball
• balmy
• cockeyed
• boobish
• crackpot
• tomfool
• featherheaded

3

as in cunning

skillful with the hands

the Shakers were clever artisans who created many ingenious and highly useful devices

Synonyms & Similar Words

• cunning
• skilled
• skillful
• handy
• deft
• capable
• dexterous
• proficient
• graceful
• adept
• agile
• competent
• nimble
• able
• limber
• expert
• coordinated
• flexible
• masterful
• spry
• qualified
• masterly
• lithe
• lithesome
• lissome
• sure-handed
• habile
• loose-jointed
• double-jointed

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• unhandy
• clumsy
• wooden
• heavy-handed
• awkward
• uncomfortable
• handless
• uneasy
• ungainly
• stiff
• gauche
• stilted
• gawky
• ungraceful
• klutzy
• graceless
• fumbling
• ham-fisted
• ham-handed
• rough-hewn
• uncoordinated
• incompetent
• incapable
• butterfingered
• inept
• bungling
• inexpert
• maladroit

4

as in witty

given to or marked by mature intelligent humor

a clever joke that requires a little bit of thought on the part of the listener

Synonyms & Similar Words

• witty
• humorous
• funny
• smart
• playful
• jocular
• amusing
• facetious
• joking
• mischievous
• ridiculous
• entertaining
• cerebral
• comical
• comic
• intellectual
• hysterical
• ludicrous
• frivolous
• highbrow
• droll
• teasing
• laughable
• farcical
• merry
• riotous
• uproarious
• laughing
• jolly
• whimsical
• jovial
• risible
• antic
• rollicking
• mirthful
• waggish
• flippant
• jocose
• screaming
• jesting
• bantering
• prankish
• highbrowed
• sidesplitting
• flip
• sparkling
• diverting
• sunny
• joshing
• jocund
• scintillating
• pert
• smart-aleck
• smart-alecky

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• stupid
• witless
• lame
• brainless
• hackneyed
• lowbrow
• corny
• serious
• humorless
• unfunny
• earnest
• hackney
• solemn
• sober
• somber
• serious-minded
• grave
• unamusing
• sorry
• plaintive
• doleful
• woeful
• tearful
• dolorous
• lachrymose
• uncomic

5

as in inventive

having the skill and imagination to create new things

I wonder what clever person thought of the digital camera

Synonyms & Similar Words

• inventive
• innovative
• creative
• imaginative
• talented
• innovational
• ingenious
• gifted
• prolific
• original
• originative
• innovatory
• inspired
• resourceful
• Promethean
• generative
• fertile
• fruitful
• productive
• fecund
• germinal

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• unimaginative
• unoriginal
• uncreative
• imitative
• uninspired
• unproductive
• uninventive
• infertile
• talentless

Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective clever differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of clever are adroit, cunning, and ingenious. While all these words mean "having or showing practical wit or skill in contriving," clever stresses physical or mental quickness, deftness, or great aptitude.

a person clever with horses

When might adroit be a better fit than clever?

The words adroit and clever can be used in similar contexts, but adroit often implies a skillful use of expedients to achieve one's purpose in spite of difficulties.

an adroit negotiator

Where would cunning be a reasonable alternative to clever?

The meanings of cunning and clever largely overlap; however, cunning implies great skill in constructing or creating.

a filmmaker cunning in his use of special effects

When is it sensible to use ingenious instead of clever?

While the synonyms ingenious and clever are close in meaning, ingenious suggests the power of inventing or discovering a new way of accomplishing something.

an ingenious software engineer

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of clever

At the 2023 Oscars, hairstylist Peter Lux fashioned her ponytail forward into clever trompe l’oeil micro bangs as part of an equally sculptural updo. — Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 7 Oct. 2026

What followed was what one source described as a combination of clever lawyering from Delrahim, and cutthroat dealmaking from RedBird Capital’s Gerry Cardinale, the financial and strategic partner of Ellison. — Alex Weprin, HollywoodReporter, 6 Oct. 2026

That’s kind of the vibe of this clever Canadian miniseries from Jesse McKeown. — Brian Tallerico, Vulture, 6 Oct. 2026

Homemade enchiladas might sound like a laborious weekend project, but with a few clever tricks, this version made with black beans and pumpkin can be whipped up on even the most hurried of work nights. — Jesse Szewczyk, Bon Appetit Magazine, 5 Oct. 2026