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Clever in Scrabble and Meaning

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What does clever mean? Is clever a Scrabble word?

How many points in Scrabble is clever worth? clever how many points in Words With Friends? What does clever mean? Get all these answers on this page.

Scrabble® and Words with Friends® points for clever

See how to calculate how many points for clever.

Is clever a Scrabble word?

Yes. The word clever is a Scrabble US word. The word clever is worth 11 points in Scrabble:

C3L1E1V4E1R1

Is clever a Scrabble UK word?

Yes. The word clever is a Scrabble UK word and has 11 points:

C3L1E1V4E1R1

Is clever a Words With Friends word?

Yes. The word clever is a Words With Friends word. The word clever is worth 14 points in Words With Friends (WWF):

C4L2E1V5E1R1

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6-letter words (1 found)

CLEVER,

5-letter words (5 found)

CLEVE,CREEL,ELVER,LEVER,REVEL,

4-letter words (10 found)

CERE,CREE,EREV,EVER,LEER,LERE,LEVE,REEL,VEER,VELE,

3-letter words (11 found)

CEE,CEL,EEL,ERE,EVE,LEE,LEV,REC,REE,REV,VEE,

2-letter words (4 found)

EE,EL,ER,RE,

1-letter words (1 found)

E,

You can make 32 words from clever according to the Scrabble US and Canada dictionary.

Definitions and meaning of clever

clever

Etymology

From East Anglian dialectal English cliver (“expert at seizing”), from Middle English cliver (“tenacious”),

  • perhaps from Old English *clifer, clibbor (“clinging”);
  • or perhaps from Dutch, Low German, or East/Saterland Frisian (compare kluftich (“clever, prudent”), probably derived from Proto-West Germanic *kleuban (“to cleave, split”));
  • or dialectal Norwegian klover (“ready, skillful”), itself borrowed from Middle Low German klever, related to kleven (“to stick”), from Old Saxon klibōn, from Proto-West Germanic *klibēn, related to the Old English word above;
  • possibly influenced by Old English clifer (“claw, hand”) (compare clawian (“to claw”)).

Related to cleave. Perhaps influenced by Welsh celfydd (“talented, dexterous, expert”).

Pronunciation

  • (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /ˈklɛvə/
  • (General American) IPA(key): /ˈklɛvɚ/
  • Rhymes: -ɛvə(ɹ)
  • Hyphenation: clev‧er

Adjective

clever (comparative cleverer or more clever, superlative cleverest or most clever)

  1. Nimble with hands or body; skillful; adept.
    • a. 1898, Francis James Child (collator), Child's Ballads, 198: "Bonny John Seton",
      The Highland men, they're clever men
      At handling sword and shield,
  2. Quick to understand, learn, and devise or apply ideas; intelligent.
  3. Mentally quick and resourceful; skilled at achieving what one wants in a mentally agile and inventive way.
    • 1890, Joseph Jacobs (collator), Molly Whuppie, English Fairy Tales,
      The youngest of the three strange lassies was called Molly Whuppie, and she was very clever. She noticed that before they went to bed the giant put straw ropes round her neck and her sisters', and round his own lassies' necks, he put gold chains. So Molly took care and did not fall asleep, but waited till she was sure every one was sleeping sound. Then she slipped out of the bed, and took the straw ropes off her own and her sisters' necks, and took the gold chains off the giant's lassies. She then put the straw ropes on the giant's lassies and the gold on herself and her sisters, and lay down.
  4. Smart, intelligent, or witty; mentally quick or sharp.
    • 19th c, Charles Kingsley, A Farewell,
      Be good, sweet maid, and let who will be clever;
      Do noble things, not dream them all day long:
      And so make life, death, and that vast forever / One grand, sweet song.
    • 1912, Fyodor Dostoevsky, Constance Garnett (translator), The Brothers Karamazov, Book V, Chapter 7: "It's Always Worth While Speaking to a Clever Man",
      I would have sent Alyosha, but what use is Alyosha in a thing like that? I send you just because you are a clever fellow. Do you suppose I don't see that? You know nothing about timber, but you've got an eye.
  5. (archaic) Sane; in one's right mind.
  6. (of objects or actions) Showing mental quickness and resourcefulness.
  7. (of objects or actions) Showing inventiveness or originality; witty.
  8. (UK, colloquial, chiefly in the negative) Fit and healthy; free from fatigue or illness.
  9. (US, dated) Good-natured; obliging.
  10. (anthropology, of an Aboriginal Australian) Possessing magical abilities.
  11. (obsolete) Fit; suitable; having propriety.
    • 18th c, Jonathan Swift, Alexander Pope (later lines), Imitation of Horace, 1852, Charles Knight (collator), Half-hours with the Best Authors, Volume 4, page 188,
      I can't but think 'twould sound more clever,
      To me and to my heirs forever.
  12. (obsolete) Well-shaped; handsome.

Synonyms

  • (smart, intelligent or witty): quick-witted, sharp-witted
    • See also Thesaurus:intelligent
  • (resourceful, perhaps cunning): cunning, street-smart
  • (nimble or skillful): adroit, talented
  • (showing inventiveness): ingenious
  • (possessing magical powers): magical

Antonyms

  • (antonym(s) of "smart, intelligent or witty"): dull, stupid
  • (antonym(s) of "resourceful, perhaps cunning"): ineffectual, naive
  • (antonym(s) of "nimble or skillful"): clumsy
  • (antonym(s) of "showing inventiveness"):
  • (antonym(s) of "possessing magical powers"): natural

Derived terms

Descendants

  • → German: clever
  • → Limburgish: klevver

Translations

Further reading

“clever”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.

References

Further reading

  • “clever”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
  • “clever”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.
  • “clever”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.

Anagrams

  • Clerve

German

Etymology

Borrowed from English clever.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): [ˈklɛvɐ]
  • Hyphenation: cle‧ver

Adjective

clever (strong nominative masculine singular cleverer, comparative cleverer or clevrer, superlative am cleversten)

  1. clever

Declension

Further reading

  • “clever” in Duden online
  • “clever” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache

Middle English

Noun

clever

  1. Alternative form of clevere

Source: wiktionary.org