Meanings
- colloquialnot comparablesimileVery intelligent.
But Ophelia was smart. Sharp as a tack. Everybody in the firm knew it.
2005, David E. Talbert, Love on the Dotted Line, page 122 more examples
When Mum died at ninety she was still as sharp as a tack. Everything else wore out.
1999, Tina Koch et al., Still Me, Wakefield Press, page 148Dr. Anthony Fauci, national infectious disease guru, is five months my senior, sharp as a tack even under withering political fire;
2021 May 17, Jane E. Brody, “A Birthday Milestone: Turning 80!”, in The New York Times, →ISSNSynonyms: astute, brainy, bright, brilliant, clever, educated, genius, gifted
Synonyms & antonyms
adjectiveVery intelligent.
Translations
Hungarian vág az esze, mint a borotva
- vág az esze, mint a borotvavery intelligent
Polish nie w ciemię bity
- nie w ciemię bityvery intelligent
Spanish más listo que el hambre
- más listo que el hambrevery intelligent
Cite this entry
sharp as a tack. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sharp%20as%20a%20tack
“sharp as a tack.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sharp%20as%20a%20tack. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “sharp as a tack,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sharp%20as%20a%20tack.
Source: sharp as a tack on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.