C1nounpsychologyeducation
US/ˈklev.ər.nəs/
UK/ˈklev.ə.nəs/
the ability to learn, understand or solve problems quickly, or to be skillful in a smart way
In context
The cleverness of the plan surprised even the experts.
Her cleverness helped her get out of trouble more than once.
He showed his cleverness by solving the puzzle in under a minute.
Words that go with cleverness
adjective + noun
- sheer clevernessThey won through sheer cleverness, not strength.
- own clevernessHe was too pleased with his own cleverness to notice the mistake.
- mere clevernessMere cleverness is not enough; you also need hard work.
noun + preposition
- cleverness of the designThe cleverness of the design makes it easy to use.
verb + noun
- admire the clevernessEveryone admired the cleverness of her answer.
Common mistakes
Incorrect:
He is a cleverness boy.Correct: He is a clever boy.