savvy

[ sav-ee ]
See synonyms for: savvysavviedsavviersavviest on Thesaurus.com

adjective,sav·vi·er, sav·vi·est.
  1. experienced, knowledgable, and well-informed; shrewd (often used in combination): consumers who are savvy about prices; a tech-savvy entrepreneur.

noun
  1. Also sav·vi·ness. practical understanding; shrewdness or intelligence; common sense: a candidate who seemed to have no political savvy.

verb (used with or without object),sav·vied, sav·vy·ing.
  1. to know; understand.

Origin of savvy

1
First recorded in 1775–85; from Spanish sabe, 3rd-person singular present of saber “to know,” from Latin sapere “to be wise, taste”; see sapient

Words Nearby savvy

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use savvy in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for savvy

savvy

/ (ˈsævɪ) slang /


verb-vies, -vying or -vied
  1. to understand or get the sense of (an idea, etc)

  2. no savvy I don't (he doesn't, etc) understand

noun
  1. comprehension

adjective-vier or -viest
  1. mainly US shrewd; well-informed

Origin of savvy

1
C18: corruption of Spanish sabe (usted) (you) know, from saber to know, from Latin sapere to be wise

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012