as in skills
knowledge gained by actually doing or living through something
she's an excellent scholar of political science, but lacks the kind of savvy needed to run for public office
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in smart
having or showing a practical cleverness or judgment
a particularly savvy investor, he was among the first to see the potential in tech stocks
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in to know
to have a clear idea of
the man growled, "Don't ever date my daughter again—you savvy?"
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of savvy
Jenzia Burgos, StyleCaster, 30 July 2025
The Post-Flight ’Fit The key to looking fresh upon arrival lies in sartorial savvy; that is, choosing an outfit that’s optimally designed for a day of sight-seeing and lazing on sunny terraces, but in actuality is comprised of surprisingly comfortable staples.
—Elly Leavitt, Vogue, 17 July 2025
Alicia Park, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2025
Physical and savvy, the 6-foot-1½ Dane had an assist and a goal in a 2-1 road victory.
—Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 Sep. 2025
Jon Freeman, Rolling Stone, 21 Jan. 2023
Consider the sage and savvy Cruz a $1 million guardrail for Tatis, a $340 million investment.
—Bryce Millercolumnist, San Diego Union-Tribune, 11 Jan. 2023
See All Example Sentences for savvy
Noun
Competitors must balance brute strength with political savvy, knowing when to make moves and when to lay low, all while living in close quarters with people actively plotting for their elimination.
—Jenzia Burgos, StyleCaster, 30 July 2025
The Post-Flight ’Fit The key to looking fresh upon arrival lies in sartorial savvy; that is, choosing an outfit that’s optimally designed for a day of sight-seeing and lazing on sunny terraces, but in actuality is comprised of surprisingly comfortable staples.
—Elly Leavitt, Vogue, 17 July 2025
Adjective
The savviest billionaire traders of the Forbes 400 are placing their bets on budding prediction marketplaces.
—Alicia Park, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2025
Physical and savvy, the 6-foot-1½ Dane had an assist and a goal in a 2-1 road victory.
—Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 Sep. 2025
Verb
But then, that’s Hardy in a nutshell: capable of writing the big hits for radio, obstinate enough to do something completely unexpected, and savvy enough to find the throughline for it all.
—Jon Freeman, Rolling Stone, 21 Jan. 2023
Consider the sage and savvy Cruz a $1 million guardrail for Tatis, a $340 million investment.
—Bryce Millercolumnist, San Diego Union-Tribune, 11 Jan. 2023
See All Example Sentences for savvy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for savvy
Noun
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At its best, the workplace can hone these same skills, teaching people to present ideas and speak publicly, disagree respectfully for the common good and make decisions collaboratively.—
Nino Paoli,
Fortune,
19 Sep. 2025
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Their ultimate goal is to create versatile robots with the physical skills needed to meet the demands of industrial environments.—
Kaif Shaikh,
Interesting Engineering,
19 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Meta also introduced a new pair of smart glasses made in collaboration with Oakley designed for high-performance sportspeople.—
PC Magazine,
PC Magazine,
18 Sep. 2025
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Meta has been developing its smart glasses with eyewear giant EssilorLuxottica since 2019, and last year renewed a long-term partnership agreement to continue making the products.—
Jonathan Vanian,
CNBC,
18 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Both members are known to hold their votes during many large, contentious votes in an effort to get more spending cuts.—
Lauren Green,
The Washington Examiner,
21 Sep. 2025
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As people now know, there was a quarter percentage point (also known as 25 basis points) interest rate cut.—
Erik Sherman,
Forbes.com,
20 Sep. 2025
Noun
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The very technology designed to smooth our experience is actually increasing our discomfort with the unavoidable misunderstandings and tensions of real relationships, driving us toward isolation.—
Curt Steinhorst,
Forbes.com,
19 Sep. 2025
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Shortly after taking the position, McMahon, who comes from many years of experience in the private sector, noted that DOGE was conducting a solid audit of the agency.—
Arthur Jones II,
ABC News,
19 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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The astute businesswoman was heralded by our Forever First Lady Michelle Obama after Chapman helped Black women lean into their love of the former FLOTUS’s groundbreaking memoir, Becoming.—
Bridgette Bartlett,
Essence,
16 Sep. 2025
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McDonnell will portray Jen, the astute mother-in-law to John (Holloway) who looks after his daughters after an electromagnetic pulse attack throws society into chaos.—
Ryan Gajewski,
HollywoodReporter,
15 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Some leaders and business development professionals get ahead of themselves, trying to show benefits without fully understanding the pain points and issues affecting their teams, leads and customers.—
Expert Panel®,
Forbes.com,
19 Sep. 2025
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Finding additional examples could help astronomers better understand how often such ejections occur and shed new light on the complex life cycles of the universe's smallest galaxies.—
Sharmila Kuthunur,
Space.com,
19 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Universities were quickly expanding, and most lacked both the operational expertise and financial flexibility needed to meet growing housing demands.—
David J. Adelman,
Fortune,
20 Sep. 2025
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Pooling their expertise in their separate artistic fields of acting and dance and wildly different life experiences, the pair built the show from scratch with the support of acting coach Susan Batson and dancer Su-Man Hsu, who was rehearsal director.—
Melanie Goodfellow,
Deadline,
20 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Stephen Kolek pitches well again The Royals made a shrewd move by acquiring starting pitchers Ryan Bergert and Stephen Kolek from the San Diego Padres at the trade deadline.—
Jaylon Thompson,
Kansas City Star,
12 Sep. 2025
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Imagine what a shrewd, wheeler-dealer type could do with the Pirates.—
Ken Rosenthal,
New York Times,
10 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Savvy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/savvy. Accessed 21 Sep. 2025.
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