astute

«astute» in Mova's school dictionary: Clever at understanding people and situations quickly… — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples.

part of speech

adjective (astute, more astute, most astute); adverb (astutely)

meaning for a pupil

Clever at understanding people and situations quickly, and using that to your advantage; sharp and shrewd. tree →

sense in the lessons

In stories, an astute detective notices small clues; an astute businessperson spots a good deal. In the Just So Stories, some animals are astute, like the clever Cat who walks by himself and makes a bargain with the Woman. In exam and newspaper English, «an astute observation» means a sharp, wise remark.

examples

• That was an astute guess. tree →
• The astute detective noticed the mud on the boots. tree →
• Badger was an astute old animal who knew the weasels' tricks. tree →
• She made an astute choice and saved money. tree →
• An astute reader will spot the clue in chapter one. tree →
• The Cat was astute and made a clever bargain. tree →
• But Hermes, astute as he was dishonest, determined to test the shepherd's integrity. tree →

note

Use «an astute». Similar: shrewd, sharp, clever, canny. Slightly formal word.

Trees and pragmatics

Every meaning and example of «astute» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.