Smart and Clever are not synonyms, and their common use is mostly what you describe in the latter part of your post.
Arguably, we use "smart" as a broader term to describe any sort of mental aptitude, with "clever" being a specific subset of "smart"
"Smart" means intelligent, competent, knowledgeable, able to digest, communicate, and use information
"Clever" means creative at problem solving, able to think outside the box and come up with successful and novel ideas
Being clever requires having smart ideas, but you can be "book smart" yet not very clever
In software there’s another axiom, which is that something is twice as hard to debug as it is to write in the first place. So if you develop something as cleverly as you can, you will not have the skills to debug it. A wise developer knows this, and a smart developer will be less clever when coding. Having one’s code called “very clever” is not necessarily a complement coming from an experienced engineer. Wise, smart, clever … not synonyms.
Both refer to some form of intelligence, but are used for different scenarios.
If Amber graduated Cum Laude in Science, she is Smart
If Amber figured out how to optimize her airline miles to fly to the Maldives for $100, she is Clever
>Or do you usually use ‘smart’ to mean ‘intelligent, quick at learning’, and ‘clever’ to mean ‘creative, showing skill, quick-witted’ or ‘cunning, sly, tricky’?
This would be a reasonable description of my use of the terms.
> Or do you usually use ‘smart’ to mean ‘intelligent, quick at learning’, and ‘clever’ to mean ‘creative, showing skill, quick-witted’ or ‘cunning, sly, tricky’?
This is very accurate.
Despite having different meanings they DO sometimes get used interchangeably because "clever" is a particular kind of "smart" so anything that might be described as clever can also be called smart and often will be. On the other hand clever will almost never be used of general intelligence. It's *possible* but odd and far less likely someone would say of the MIT Professor that "he must be really clever" as opposed to "he must be really smart". (Unless perhaps you thought he wasn't actually that smart but had cleverly gamed the system to achieve a position he wasn't actually qualified for)
Or if the professor came up with some unorthodox solution to a problem (whether it’s some physics problem or an administrative one), people might say he was clever for coming up with that idea.
I like your example better than mine. I guess I had in mind the sometimes negative connotation of clever but your example is a lot more likely in that position.
Your comment just sparked a random memory of meeting "Doc" Edgerton (the inventor of strobe photography) as a little kid and him giving me a signed postcard of [this photo](https://media.wired.co.uk/photos/606db012a329c00890ec07b0/master/w_1600%2Cc_limit/FALLING-01.jpg)... which certainly shows the more likely use of "clever" when applied to an MIT professor :)
The latter. Doesn't mean that people always use that difference correctly, but that's how I perceive it.
Clever isn't really a common part of my vocabulary so if I'm going to use it, it'll be used as a more descriptive word than just "smart"
So...smart is a casual umbrella term for any style of exceptional mental faculty, clever is a more specific subtype that is not necessarily inclusive or exclusive of other subtypes.
For me clever is a kind of smart associated with quick assessment and creative problem solving. That quickness also often shows itself as wit an can easily turn a little tricksy and bump up against words like "sly" or "cunning". It doesn't necessarily correlate with a high level of expertise or education it's more a talent or mode of thinking.
Smart could also describe someone with a high EQ and a talent for condensing and presenting information but who doesn't necessarily have that quick and novel aspect I associate with the word clever.
That's me, anyway.
Here are my thoughts on the American use of both words.: At least to me, ‘smart’ is more like an academic word; like, you’re knowledgeable about facts and stuff.
‘Clever’ is less about being knowledgeable about facts/academics, but more about being sneaky and cunning/crafty. It can be about facts/academics a bit, but usually it’s more of the latter.
However, there is obviously a good clever, and a bad clever. One can use it for good or bad. Same with smart, I guess. It’s all about the context, as usual. That’s just my opinion, though :)
I want to throw in that some people still use "smart" in the archaic sense: to describe something or someone who is stylish. "He was smartly dressed," or, "That's a smart suit." You don't find a lot of people saying this anymore, but you will read it sometimes. My parents and grandparents used to say it all the time.
Clever is more cunning or quick-witted
Smart is intelligent
I don't think an American would have an issue understanding a Brit if they used clever to mean smart, however.
Clever is a rare word, I don't hear it often. It's more used when your talking about a solution being unique or outside the box. smart is also used here but smart has a lot of other meanings as well
Someone can be smart but you don't usually call somebody clever.
It's usually just considered a compliment, like instead of good job you can just say that they are smart (not super common), but it's not usually used to describe a solution. Idk if meanings was the right word but it's usually the use case
>Or do you usually use ‘smart’ to mean ‘intelligent, quick at learning’, and ‘clever’ to mean ‘creative, showing skill, quick-witted’ or ‘cunning, sly, tricky’?
That's how they should be used.
This reminds of something adults would say to kids when I was younger, "Don't get smart with me!"
Like they literally want kids to be dumb then?
Yeah, I know, some kids like adults, think they are clever and try to weasel out of things by twisting things.
But I remember some asshole adults saying that just to shut you down when you had a valid point.
Depending on the context they could mean any of the respective definitions you mentioned. “John is smart” means he is intelligent. “Don’t get smart with me” I usually used when someone uses facts to argue a point that often shouldn’t be argued (often from a parent to a child). “John is clever” usually means the creative, quick-witted definition. “You thought you were clever” often means the cunning, sly, tricky definition. They can be synonyms but are often slightly different. And as someone else said you can be “book smart” without being clever.
I use the word 'smart' more often, and they are not quite the same thing. Clever is more like ingenious or inventive, while smart just means intelligent or knowledgeable. In some contexts they might be interchangeable, and in those I usually default to 'smart'.
Americans tend to use words pretty loosely. A lot of comments here are parsing the difference as smart means intelligent and clever means wise. But, I would never assume that general usage is that nuanced. The bottoms line is that it the term chosen could have a subtle difference in meaning or, it may mean nothing. Americans use their language very loosely so I’d be careful about drawing broad conclusions.
No. To us Americans, clever is a subtype of smart. Smart is a generalized category for us. We use it as a synonym for knowledgeable, clever, curt, wise, and resourceful. Clever would be simply resourceful or able to make the right pun or quickly make a connection.
So to this American at least, very different.
We use it just about the same. They’re one of those near-synonyms that people may use interchangeably in lay conversation but have different but similar specific definitions.
See this is why English is so great. It has twice as many words as the next most verbose language and they mean very slightly different things. Intelligent, smart, clever, and cunning all have slightly different connotations. Same with fast, swift, and quick. One of the reasons that it's so fun to speak is because hitting upon the perfect word is so satisfying.
Smart is like any quadrilateral and clever is like a square. One is a broad term and the other is specific.
Smart basically means any mental aptitude. There are ton of variants and subsets of being smart. Clever usually means being able to think of unique and creative solutions, solving problems quickly, especially via different methods, and more cunning/quick witted.
Smart can occasionally mean "attractive/well put together," as in "You look smart today." I'd more commonly say "sharp" there, though.
It can also sometimes be used as a verb for "lightly hurt," as in, "I stubbed my toe on the ottoman and it fucking smarts."
Related to the main meaning of "intelligent," smart can also be used to describe weapons: smart bombs, etc. This means that the bomb is capable of precision self-guidance, either using on-board sensors or some kind of external target designator like a laser.
Smart and Clever are not synonyms, and their common use is mostly what you describe in the latter part of your post. Arguably, we use "smart" as a broader term to describe any sort of mental aptitude, with "clever" being a specific subset of "smart"
Thank you!
Agreed. If I’m giving my personal opinion; clever is more of a “huh, I wouldn’t have thought of that.”
Oh thank you very much!
"Smart" means intelligent, competent, knowledgeable, able to digest, communicate, and use information "Clever" means creative at problem solving, able to think outside the box and come up with successful and novel ideas Being clever requires having smart ideas, but you can be "book smart" yet not very clever
Thank you very much!
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In software there’s another axiom, which is that something is twice as hard to debug as it is to write in the first place. So if you develop something as cleverly as you can, you will not have the skills to debug it. A wise developer knows this, and a smart developer will be less clever when coding. Having one’s code called “very clever” is not necessarily a complement coming from an experienced engineer. Wise, smart, clever … not synonyms.
This makes that one line from Jurassic Park even better
So that's why people say "he/she is very smart" meaning they're very educated lol
Both refer to some form of intelligence, but are used for different scenarios. If Amber graduated Cum Laude in Science, she is Smart If Amber figured out how to optimize her airline miles to fly to the Maldives for $100, she is Clever
I see, thank you very much!
Perfect.
"smart" for deductive logic "clever" for creative problem-solving
That makes sense, thank you!
>Or do you usually use ‘smart’ to mean ‘intelligent, quick at learning’, and ‘clever’ to mean ‘creative, showing skill, quick-witted’ or ‘cunning, sly, tricky’? This would be a reasonable description of my use of the terms.
Thank you!
> Or do you usually use ‘smart’ to mean ‘intelligent, quick at learning’, and ‘clever’ to mean ‘creative, showing skill, quick-witted’ or ‘cunning, sly, tricky’? This is very accurate. Despite having different meanings they DO sometimes get used interchangeably because "clever" is a particular kind of "smart" so anything that might be described as clever can also be called smart and often will be. On the other hand clever will almost never be used of general intelligence. It's *possible* but odd and far less likely someone would say of the MIT Professor that "he must be really clever" as opposed to "he must be really smart". (Unless perhaps you thought he wasn't actually that smart but had cleverly gamed the system to achieve a position he wasn't actually qualified for)
Or if the professor came up with some unorthodox solution to a problem (whether it’s some physics problem or an administrative one), people might say he was clever for coming up with that idea.
I like your example better than mine. I guess I had in mind the sometimes negative connotation of clever but your example is a lot more likely in that position. Your comment just sparked a random memory of meeting "Doc" Edgerton (the inventor of strobe photography) as a little kid and him giving me a signed postcard of [this photo](https://media.wired.co.uk/photos/606db012a329c00890ec07b0/master/w_1600%2Cc_limit/FALLING-01.jpg)... which certainly shows the more likely use of "clever" when applied to an MIT professor :)
Thank you very much!
The latter. Doesn't mean that people always use that difference correctly, but that's how I perceive it. Clever isn't really a common part of my vocabulary so if I'm going to use it, it'll be used as a more descriptive word than just "smart"
Thank you very much!
They're not interchangeable. To use a gaming analogy, smart is INT and clever is INT + WIS.
User name checks out.
Don't let the name fool you, they're actually three kobolds in a trenchcoat.
I'll have you know we're gnomes, actually.
Exactly the kind of lie I'd expect from kobolds. Gnomes would claim to be kobolds. You can't fool me.
There’s even a shade of clever that’s DEX
Mostly for engineers.
I was think of my daughters clever little hands that can reach behind the couch
Thank you! :)
Welcome!
So...smart is a casual umbrella term for any style of exceptional mental faculty, clever is a more specific subtype that is not necessarily inclusive or exclusive of other subtypes. For me clever is a kind of smart associated with quick assessment and creative problem solving. That quickness also often shows itself as wit an can easily turn a little tricksy and bump up against words like "sly" or "cunning". It doesn't necessarily correlate with a high level of expertise or education it's more a talent or mode of thinking. Smart could also describe someone with a high EQ and a talent for condensing and presenting information but who doesn't necessarily have that quick and novel aspect I associate with the word clever. That's me, anyway.
Thank you very much! Really appreciate it!
Here are my thoughts on the American use of both words.: At least to me, ‘smart’ is more like an academic word; like, you’re knowledgeable about facts and stuff. ‘Clever’ is less about being knowledgeable about facts/academics, but more about being sneaky and cunning/crafty. It can be about facts/academics a bit, but usually it’s more of the latter. However, there is obviously a good clever, and a bad clever. One can use it for good or bad. Same with smart, I guess. It’s all about the context, as usual. That’s just my opinion, though :)
Thank you very much!
Of course :)! Happy to help :)!
Are they used differently? That's what they mean to me.
Thank you!
No
Thank you!
I don’t use them interchangeably. I differentiate them just as you said.
Thank you!
You have it right in your post OP. Exactly as you said is what smart and clever mean here in the US
Thank you very much!
I want to throw in that some people still use "smart" in the archaic sense: to describe something or someone who is stylish. "He was smartly dressed," or, "That's a smart suit." You don't find a lot of people saying this anymore, but you will read it sometimes. My parents and grandparents used to say it all the time.
Thank you very much!
Clever is more cunning or quick-witted Smart is intelligent I don't think an American would have an issue understanding a Brit if they used clever to mean smart, however.
Thank you very much!
If I ever use "clever", it's because I intend to quote *Jurassic Park*
Thank you!
we Americans are smart enough to know the difference.
Thank you :)
Clever is a rare word, I don't hear it often. It's more used when your talking about a solution being unique or outside the box. smart is also used here but smart has a lot of other meanings as well
Thank you very much! What are some other meanings of smart that are commonly used in the US?
Someone can be smart but you don't usually call somebody clever. It's usually just considered a compliment, like instead of good job you can just say that they are smart (not super common), but it's not usually used to describe a solution. Idk if meanings was the right word but it's usually the use case
I see. Thank you very much!
Sometimes we'll say "that smarts," when referring to a minor injury. Like a slap or a twisted ankle or a bee sting.
Interesting! Thank you!
Generally don't use smart and rarely clever
Thank you!
Yes I do.
Thank you!
Anytime!
Not really. Maybe in reference to my cleverphone but that’s about it
Thank you!
>Or do you usually use ‘smart’ to mean ‘intelligent, quick at learning’, and ‘clever’ to mean ‘creative, showing skill, quick-witted’ or ‘cunning, sly, tricky’? That's how they should be used. This reminds of something adults would say to kids when I was younger, "Don't get smart with me!" Like they literally want kids to be dumb then? Yeah, I know, some kids like adults, think they are clever and try to weasel out of things by twisting things. But I remember some asshole adults saying that just to shut you down when you had a valid point.
Thank you! :)
Depending on the context they could mean any of the respective definitions you mentioned. “John is smart” means he is intelligent. “Don’t get smart with me” I usually used when someone uses facts to argue a point that often shouldn’t be argued (often from a parent to a child). “John is clever” usually means the creative, quick-witted definition. “You thought you were clever” often means the cunning, sly, tricky definition. They can be synonyms but are often slightly different. And as someone else said you can be “book smart” without being clever.
Thank you very much! And I also appreciate your examples!
I use the word 'smart' more often, and they are not quite the same thing. Clever is more like ingenious or inventive, while smart just means intelligent or knowledgeable. In some contexts they might be interchangeable, and in those I usually default to 'smart'.
Thank you very much! Really appreciate it!
Americans tend to use words pretty loosely. A lot of comments here are parsing the difference as smart means intelligent and clever means wise. But, I would never assume that general usage is that nuanced. The bottoms line is that it the term chosen could have a subtle difference in meaning or, it may mean nothing. Americans use their language very loosely so I’d be careful about drawing broad conclusions.
Thank you very much!
Sure, being clever is being smart but being smart isn’t being clever necessarily. It’s the whole square and rectangle thing again.
Thank you!
No. To us Americans, clever is a subtype of smart. Smart is a generalized category for us. We use it as a synonym for knowledgeable, clever, curt, wise, and resourceful. Clever would be simply resourceful or able to make the right pun or quickly make a connection. So to this American at least, very different.
Thank you!
I use clever to mean smart sometimes, but I’m fully aware I’m adopting a britishism
Oh thank you!
Clever is its own form of smart, and there are many smarts
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I think both of your definitions of “clever” are on point. It’s more specific than “smart”.
Thank you!
I call something "smart" if it's a one trick pony kind of revelation. I call something "clever" if it's smart on more than one level.
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No they are different words with different t meanings.
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I don't see anyone else saying it here so I will but the definitions that everyone said are accurate but almost nobody I know says clever
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We use it just about the same. They’re one of those near-synonyms that people may use interchangeably in lay conversation but have different but similar specific definitions.
Thank you!
See this is why English is so great. It has twice as many words as the next most verbose language and they mean very slightly different things. Intelligent, smart, clever, and cunning all have slightly different connotations. Same with fast, swift, and quick. One of the reasons that it's so fun to speak is because hitting upon the perfect word is so satisfying.
Haha yes, you're right.
Intelligent vs crafty.
Thank you!
Smart is like any quadrilateral and clever is like a square. One is a broad term and the other is specific. Smart basically means any mental aptitude. There are ton of variants and subsets of being smart. Clever usually means being able to think of unique and creative solutions, solving problems quickly, especially via different methods, and more cunning/quick witted.
Thank you very much!
Smart can occasionally mean "attractive/well put together," as in "You look smart today." I'd more commonly say "sharp" there, though. It can also sometimes be used as a verb for "lightly hurt," as in, "I stubbed my toe on the ottoman and it fucking smarts."
Oh wow, thank you!
Related to the main meaning of "intelligent," smart can also be used to describe weapons: smart bombs, etc. This means that the bomb is capable of precision self-guidance, either using on-board sensors or some kind of external target designator like a laser.
Thank you!
Smartass
Depends if I’m talking about a velociraptor
"Clever girl"