Words at Play : Top 10 Sophisticated Compliments
Definition:
having or showing perception, comprehension, or shrewdness especially in practical matters
Example:
"Advocates have waged savvy campaigns, gaining footholds by legalising marijuana for medical purposes (so far in 20 states and Washington, DC) and presenting a clean-cut, besuited image worlds away from the tie-dyed stereotypes." — The Economist, January 11, 2014
About the Word:
Savvy emerged in the late 1700s as a verb ("Do you savvy?" means "Do you understand?") and a noun ("political savvy" means "political know-how"). It took more than a century to develop into an adjective used to describe people. Like savant, it comes from the Latin sapere, "to be wise."
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