shrewd
/ʃɹuːd/adjective
shrewd is spelled S-H-R-E-W-D: 6 letters and one syllable. It appears 1.3 times per million words in written English, the 25,070th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, shrewd means “Showing clever resourcefulness in practical matters” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in shrewd?
| Letters | 6: S-H-R-E-W-D |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 1 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 1.3 times per million words; the 25,070th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is shrewd?
Shrewd appears 1.3 times per million words in written English, the 25,070th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce shrewd?
- /ʃɹuːd/
Shrewd has one syllable (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-shrewd.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of shrewd
- shrewder comparative
- shrewdest superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does shrewd mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Showing clever resourcefulness in practical matters.
- 2
Artful, tricky or cunning.
- 3
informalstreetwise, street-smart.
- 4
Knowledgeable, intelligent, keen.
- 5
Nigh accurate.
a shrewd guess
- 6
Severe, intense, hard.
a shrewd blow, or assault
- 7
Sharp, snithy, piercing.
a shrewd wind
- 8
archaicBad, evil, threatening.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Shrewd in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | perspicace, sagace , habile, roublard, futé, rusé |
| German | klug, clever, gewitzt , schlau, listig, raffiniert |
| Portuguese | perspicaz, sagaz |
| Spanish | perspicaz , astuto |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does shrewd come from?
From Middle English schrewed (“depraved; wicked”, literally “accursed”), from schrewen (“to curse; beshrew”), from schrewe, schrowe, screwe (“evil or wicked person/thing”), from Old English sċrēawa (“wicked person”, literally “biter”). Equivalent to shrew + -ed. More at shrew. The sense of "cunning" developed in early 16ᵗʰ c., gradually gaining a positive connotation by 17ᵗʰ c.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).