# savvy

/ˈsævi/ (US) · /sˈævi/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/savvy
Updated: 2026-06-20

## Senses

### 1. shrewd and well-informed

adjective · CEFR B2 · Informal

having practical knowledge and making good judgments about a specific subject.

For teachers: possessing shrewdness and practical knowledge; often used in a specific domain to indicate competence and discernment.

- She is a savvy investor who always knows when to buy stocks.
- The savvy marketing executive recognised that the campaign's success depended more on social media engagement than traditional television advertising.

Usage: Commonly used in compound adjectives like 'tech-savvy' or 'media-savvy'.

### 3. to understand

verb · CEFR C2 · Informal · Slang

to understand or get the point of something.

For teachers: to comprehend or understand; frequently used as a tag question to confirm the listener's understanding.

- We need to keep this a secret, savvy?
- The captain explained the plan quickly and ended with a sharp 'savvy?' to ensure his crew was ready for the mission.

Teaching tip: As a verb, this is often associated with pirate tropes or older slang; in modern speech, it is mostly used as a one-word question.

## Examples

- She is very tech savvy and fixed my computer in minutes.
- A savvy investor knows when to ignore market hype and focus on long-term value.
- The campaign's success was largely due to a savvy social media strategy that targeted younger demographics through authentic, non-traditional advertising channels.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.