quick-witted

C1 Topic:Describing People

Also spelled quickwitted

US /ˌkwɪkˈwɪtɪd/ UK /ˌkwɪkˈwɪtɪd/
adj Freq #61387

Meanings

  1. 1
    adj

    able to think, understand, and reply rapidly and intelligently

    The quick-witted lawyer immediately noticed the contradiction in the testimony.

Thesaurus

Synonyms
1 adj · able to think, understand,... sharpastutenimble-mindedresourceful
Opposites
slow-wittedobtuse
Word family
Derived forms quick-wittedlyquick-wittedness
Related forms witquickclever

Etymology

A compound of quick in its older sense "alive, mentally alert" + witted ("having a particular kind of wit or intelligence"). The hyphenated spelling makes the two-part adjective explicit.

Topics

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