Synonyms and antonyms of Words used to describe intelligent or wise people in British Thesaurus

genius (adjective)

informal very clever or original

intelligent (adjective)

good at thinking clearly and quickly, at understanding difficult ideas and subjects, and at gaining and using knowledge

wise (adjective)

a wise person is able to make good choices and decisions because they have a lot of experience

brilliant (adjective)

very intelligent

clever (adjective)

good at learning or understanding things

bright (adjective)

a bright person is intelligent and usually young and likely to do well at school or in their careers

brainy (adjective)

informal very intelligent, especially at school or college

discerning (adjective)

showing good judgment about things such as art, music, and books and able to tell whether something is valuable or well made

clear-sighted (adjective)

able to judge situations quickly and accurately and make sensible decisions

no/nobody’s fool ()

intelligent and with a lot of experience of life so that you do not allow other people to trick you

able (adjective)

intelligent or good at doing something

academic (adjective)

education good at learning things by studying

agile (adjective)

able to think quickly, solve problems, and have new ideas

apt (adjective)

good at learning

astute (adjective)

good at judging situations and people quickly and able to use this knowledge for personal benefit

be all there ()

if you say someone is all there, you mean they are of normal intelligence

bright as a button ()

very clever

canny (adjective)

good at judging situations, especially in business, and careful not to be tricked

donnish (adjective)

British serious, intelligent, and mainly interested in academic issues

enquiring (adjective)

another spelling of inquiring

far-sighted (adjective)

able to imagine what effects an action will have in the future so that you make good decisions

fly (adjective)

Britishinformal old-fashioned clever and not easy to trick

have a good head on your shoulders ()

to be intelligent and able to make good decisions

have your head (screwed) on right ()

to be able to make sensible decisions

imaginative (adjective)

used about someone who has new, different, or exciting ideas

ingenious (adjective)

someone who is ingenious is good at inventing things and solving problems in new ways

inquiring (adjective)

keen to learn about new things

inquisitive (adjective)

keen to learn about a lot of different things

intelligent (adjective)

showing intelligence

intelligent (adjective)

able to think, understand, and learn

intuitive (adjective)

capable of basing decisions, actions etc on feelings rather than on facts or evidence

inventive (adjective)

good at thinking of new and original ideas or methods

learned (adjective)

a learned person knows a lot about one or more subjects, especially academic subjects

lively (adjective)

showing a lot of intelligence and interest in things

luminous (adjective)

mainly literary very intelligent or beautiful

nimble (adjective)

someone who has a nimble mind is intelligent and learns things quickly

not just a pretty face ()

used for emphasizing that someone is intelligent or skilful as well as being attractive

not miss much ()

to be intelligent and always know what is happening around you

on the ball (informal)

informal quick to understand what is happening and what must be done

original (adjective)

capable of creating ideas, writings etc that are new, interesting, and different from anything else

owlish (adjective)

someone who is owlish has round eyes, or seems wise

penetrating (adjective)

intelligent and quick to solve problems or to understand something complicated

penetrative (adjective)

formal able to quickly understand things or their importance

perceptive (adjective)

able to notice or understand things quickly and easily

perspicacious (adjective)

very formal able to judge quickly and correctly what people and situations are really like

precocious (adjective)

a precocious child is more intelligent or behaves in a more developed way than you would expect for their age

quick (adjective)

able to understand things very easily

quick-witted (adjective)

able to think of good ideas or good answers quickly

rapier (adjective)

literary mentally quick and clever

razor-sharp (adjective)

very clever

reflective (adjective)

showing a tendency to serious and careful thought

resourceful (adjective)

good at finding effective ways to deal with problems

sagacious (adjective)

very formal wise and able to make good practical decisions

sage (adjective)

literary wise and showing good judgment

sapient (adjective)

literary wise

sharp (adjective)

intelligent and quick to notice something or react to something

sharp-witted (adjective)

quick to understand things and react to them

shrewd (adjective)

able to judge people and situations very well and to make good decisions

smart (adjective)

intelligent

subtle (adjective)

showing an ability to notice and understand small things that other people do not

(there are) no flies on someone ()

used for saying that someone is not stupid and you cannot trick them easily

venerable (adjective)

very old and wise or respected

wise beyond your years ()

with more knowledge and experience than most people have at your age