Meanings
comparative savvier · superlative savviest
- informalShrewd, well-informed and perceptive.
That such a safe adaptation could come of The Hunger Games speaks more to the trilogy’s commercial ascent than the book’s actual content, which is audacious and savvy in its dark calculations.
2012 March 22, Scott Tobias, “The Hunger Games”, in AV Club, archived from the original on 24 Mar 20121 more example
Mellors explains that the current mix of customers on Avanti's trains is more skewed towards leisure customers who are price savvy. Typically, this means that the average yield from their tickets is lower.
2026 August 19, Andy Mellors talks to Helen Nugent, “The RAIL Interview”, in RAIL, number 1068, page 28Synonyms: canny
present singular third person savvies · participle present savvying · participle past savvied · past savvied
- informalTo understand.
He's probably a perfect technician as a surgeon, but he knows you get only what you grab. Think of the years it's taken me to learn what he savvied all the time!
1925, Sinclair Lewis, chapter XXIV, in Arrowsmith, Harcourt Brace & Co., page 280
Synonyms & antonyms
adjectiveShrewd, well-informed and perceptive.
nounShrewdness.
More synonyms by meaning
nounthe cognitive condition of someone who understands
verbget the meaning of something
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Latinsapere“to taste; to know”
- Portuguesesabe“[she/he] knows”
- Englishsavvy
Alteration of save, sabi (“to know”) (in English-based creoles and pidgins), from Portuguese sabe (“[she/he] knows”), from saber (“to know”), from Latin sapere (“to taste; to know”). First appears c. 1785 in a dictionary by Francis Grose, as a noun, “practical sense, intelligence”; also a verb, “to know, to understand”. The adjective is first recorded 1905, from the noun.
More words from Portuguese, Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Arabic الدهاء
- الدهاء (aldaha')well-informed and perceptive
Bulgarian знаещ, схващам
- знаещ (znaešt)well-informed and perceptive
- схващам (shvaštam)(informal) to understand
Chinese Mandarin 精明能幹的 /精明能干的
- 精明能幹的 /精明能干的 (jīngmíng nénggàn de)well-informed and perceptive
Czech vnímavý, důvtipný
- vnímavýwell-informed and perceptive
- důvtipnýwell-informed and perceptive
- řídící se zdravým rozumemwell-informed and perceptive
- chytrýwell-informed and perceptive
- rozumět(informal) to understand
- dovtípit se(informal) to understand
Finnish fiksu, älykäs
- fiksuwell-informed and perceptive
- älykäswell-informed and perceptive
- tajuta(informal) to understand
- hiffata(informal) to understand
- kässätä(informal) to understand
French futé, malin
- futéwell-informed and perceptive
- malinwell-informed and perceptive
- piger(informal) to understand
German clever, klug
- cleverwell-informed and perceptive
- klugwell-informed and perceptive
- schlauwell-informed and perceptive
- kapieren(informal) to understand
- schnallen(informal) to understand
- verstehen(informal) to understand
Italian astuto, furbo
- astutowell-informed and perceptive
- furbowell-informed and perceptive
Persian زرنگ, گرفتن
- زرنگ (zerang)well-informed and perceptive
- گرفتن (gereftan)(informal) to understand
Portuguese sábio, sabido
- sábiowell-informed and perceptive
- sabidowell-informed and perceptive
- saber(informal) to understand
- sacar(informal) to understand
Russian смы́слящий, сообража́ющий
- смы́слящий (smýsljaščij)well-informed and perceptive
- сообража́ющий (soobražájuščij)well-informed and perceptive
- продви́нутый (prodvínutyj)well-informed and perceptive
- куме́кающий (kumékajuščij)well-informed and perceptive
- вруба́ющийся (vrubájuščijsja)well-informed and perceptive
Spanish sabio, canchero
- sabiowell-informed and perceptive
- cancherowell-informed and perceptive
- sabidowell-informed and perceptive
- sabedorwell-informed and perceptive
- avezadowell-informed and perceptive
- conocedorwell-informed and perceptive
- saber(informal) to understand
Swedish smart, slug
- smartwell-informed and perceptive
- slugwell-informed and perceptive
- klokwell-informed and perceptive
Turkish akıllı, kurnaz
- akıllıwell-informed and perceptive
- kurnazwell-informed and perceptive
- idrak etmek(informal) to understand
- kavramak(informal) to understand
- çakmak(informal) to understand
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with savvy
All rhymes →Cite this entry
savvy. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/savvy
“savvy.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/savvy. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “savvy,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/savvy.
Source: savvy on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.