shrewd
adj.adj. showing good judgment and the ability to make smart decisions, especially in business or politics. You use this to describe someone who is clever and hard to trick.
adj. characterised by keen awareness, sharp intelligence, and practical judgment. Often implies a calculating or self-interested nature in commercial or political contexts.
She made a shrewd investment that doubled her money.
A shrewd negotiator knows exactly when to stay silent to make the other side feel uncomfortable.
His shrewd assessment of the shifting political landscape allowed him to align with the winning party long before his rivals even noticed the change in public mood.
From Middle English schrewed (“depraved; wicked”, literally “accursed”), from schrewen (“to curse; beshrew”), from schrewe, schrowe, screwe (“evil or wicked person/thing”), from Old English sċrēawa (“wicked person”, literally “biter”). Equivalent to shrew + -ed. More at shrew. The sense of "cunning" developed in early 16ᵗʰ c., gradually gaining a positive connotation by 17ᵗʰ c.
Typically used to describe people, their decisions, or their observations. Often carries a slightly cold or calculating connotation.