wit

wit ¹  (wt)

n.

1. The natural ability to perceive and understand; intelligence.

2.

a. Keenness and quickness of perception or discernment; ingenuity. Often used in the plural: living by one's wits.

b. wits Sound mental faculties; sanity: scared out of my wits.

3.

a. The ability to perceive and express in an ingeniously humorous manner the relationship between seemingly incongruous or disparate things.

b. One noted for this ability, especially one skilled in repartee.

c. A person of exceptional intelligence.

Idioms:

at (one's) wits' end

At the limit of one's mental resources; utterly at a loss.

have/keep (one's) wits about (one)

To remain alert or calm, especially in a crisis.

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[Middle English, from Old English; see weid- in Indo-European roots.]

Synonyms: wit¹, humor, repartee, sarcasm, irony
These nouns denote forms of expression that elicit amusement or laughter. Wit implies intellectual keenness and the ability to perceive and express in a diverting way analogies between dissimilar things: "Wit has truth in it; wisecracking is simply calisthenics with words" Dorothy Parker.
Humor suggests the faculty of recognizing what is amusing, comical, incongruous, or absurd: "Man's sense of humor seems to be in inverse proportion to the gravity of his profession" Mary Roberts Rinehart.
Repartee implies a facility for answering swiftly and cleverly: "framing comments ... that would be sure to sting and yet leave no opening for repartee" H.G. Wells.
Sarcasm is a form of caustic wit intended to wound or ridicule another: "[His] tone seemed as if meant to be kind and soothing, but yet had a bitterness of sarcasm in it" Nathaniel Hawthorne.
Irony is a form of expression in which an intended meaning is the opposite of the literal meaning of the words used: "A drayman in a passion [a rage] calls out, 'You are a pretty fellow,' without suspecting that he is uttering irony" Thomas Macaulay. See Also Synonyms at mind.

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wit ¹

Noun

1. the ability to use words or ideas in a clever, amusing, and imaginative way

2. a person possessing this ability

3. practical intelligence: do credit me with some wit

See also wits [Old English witt]

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wit ²

Verb

to wit (used to introduce a statement or explanation) that is to say; namely [Old English witan]

Thesaurus

Noun	1.	wit - a message whose ingenuity or verbal skill or incongruity has the power to evoke laughter humor, witticism, wittiness, humour subject matter, content, message, substance - what a communication that is about something is about jeu d'esprit - a witty comment or writing bon mot, mot - a clever remark esprit de l'escalier - a witty remark that occurs to you too late pungency, bite - wit having a sharp and caustic quality; "he commented with typical pungency"; "the bite of satire" caustic remark, irony, sarcasm, satire - witty language used to convey insults or scorn; "he used sarcasm to upset his opponent"; "irony is wasted on the stupid"; "Satire is a sort of glass, wherein beholders do generally discover everybody's face but their own"--Jonathan Swift repartee - adroitness and cleverness in reply gag, jape, jest, joke, laugh - a humorous anecdote or remark intended to provoke laughter; "he told a very funny joke"; "he knows a million gags"; "thanks for the laugh"; "he laughed unpleasantly at his own jest"; "even a schoolboy's jape is supposed to have some ascertainable point" caricature, impersonation, imitation - a representation of a person that is exaggerated for comic effect cartoon, sketch - a humorous or satirical drawing published in a newspaper or magazine fun, sport, play - verbal wit or mockery (often at another's expense but not to be taken seriously); "he became a figure of fun"; "he said it in sport" ribaldry - ribald humor topper - an exceedingly good witticism that surpasses all that have gone before libation - (facetious) a serving of an alcoholic beverage roaster - a harsh or humorous critic (sometimes intended as a facetious compliment); "the honoree gave his roasters as good as he got"
	2.	wit - mental ability; "he's got plenty of brains but no common sense" brainpower, learning ability, mental capacity, mentality, brain intelligence - the ability to comprehend; to understand and profit from experience
	3.	wit - a witty amusing person who makes jokes wag, card colloquialism - a colloquial expression; characteristic of spoken or written communication that seeks to imitate informal speech humorist, humourist - someone who acts speaks or writes in an amusing way

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wit

noun 1. humour, fun, quips, banter, puns, pleasantry, repartee, wordplay, levity, witticisms, badinage, jocularity, facetiousness, drollery, raillery, waggishness, wittiness << OPPOSITE seriousness

noun 2. humorist, card (informal) comedian, wag, joker, dag N.Z. (informal) punster, epigrammatist

noun 3. cleverness, mind, reason, understanding, sense, brains, smarts (slang), chiefly U.S. judgment, perception, wisdom, insight, common sense, intellect, comprehension, ingenuity, acumen, nous Brit. (slang) discernment, practical intelligence << OPPOSITE stupidity

Translations

wit [wɪt] n (= wittiness) → ingenio, gracia (= intelligence) (also: wits) → inteligencia;

(person) → chistoso/a;

to have or keep one's wits about one → no perder la cabeza

wit [wɪt] n (also: wits) (= intelligence); intelligence f, esprit m (= presence of mind); présence f d'esprit (= wittiness); esprit (= person); homme/femme d'esprit;

to be at one's wits' end (fig) → ne plus savoir que faire;

to have one's wits about one → avoir toute sa présence d'esprit, ne pas perdre la tête;

to wit adv → à savoir

wit [wɪt] n (= wittiness) → geistreiche Art f;

(person) → geistreicher Mensch m (= presence of mind); Verstand m;

wits npl (intelligence) → Verstand m;

to be at one's wits' end → mit seinem Latein am Ende sein;

to have one's wits about one → einen klaren Kopf haben;

to wit (namely) → und zwar

wit [wɪt] n (gen pl) → intelligenza; presenza di spirito (= wittiness); spirito, arguzia;

(person) → bello spirito;

to be at one's wits' end (fig) → non sapere più cosa fare;

to have or keep one's wits about one → avere presenza di spirito;

to wit adv → cioè

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wit

n wit [wit]

1 humour; the ability to express oneself in an amusing way His plays are full of wit; I admire his wit. humor مِزاج مَرِح، خِفَّة دَم духовитост humor, vtipnost vid der Witz πνεύμα, χιούμορ agudeza, ingenio, chispa, gracia vaimukus لطافت طبع nokkeluus esprit שְׁנִינוּת हाजिर-जवाबी humor, duhovitost szellemesség humor fyndni, hnyttni spirito 機知 기지, 재치 sąmojis humors; asprātība bersemangat; bijak dan lucu; pendapat yang tajam spitsheid vidd, vittighet, åndfullhet dowcip graça spirit остроумие humor, vtipnosť, duchaplnosť duhovitost duhovitost slagfärdighet แสดงความตลกขบขัน nükte, espri 幽默妙語 дотепність ظرافت sự hóm hỉnh 幽默妙语

2 a person who expresses himself in a humorous way, tells jokes etc He's a great wit. humoristiese persoon شَخْص مَشْهور بِنكاتِه وتَعْليقاتِه الظَّريفَه духовит човек vtipný člověk vittigt hoved witziger Kopf πνευματώδης άνθρωπος, χιουμορίστας persona salada, chistoso, ingenioso naljahammas, lõuapoolik بذله گويى vitsiniekka homme, femme d'esprit שָׁנוּן हाजिर-जवाब šaljivdžija szellemes ember orang humoris orðheppinn maður (persona spiritosa) 機知に富んだ人 재사, 기지 있는 사람 humoristas asprātis; atjautīgs cilvēks bijak dalam berjenaka gevat iemand slagferdig person, vittig hode dowcipniś humorista om inte­ligent остроумный человек vtipný človek duhovitež duhovit čovek kvickhuvud, spirituell person ผู้มีเชาว์ปัญญา nüktedan 富於幽默感的人 дотепник ظریف الطبع شخص người hóm hỉnh 富于幽默感的人

3 common sense, inventiveness etc He did not have the wit to defend himself. gesonde verstand بَديهَه، فِطْنَه разум důvtip; inteligence det, der skal til geistige Fähigkeit εξυπνάδα, ευστροφία juicio, inteligencia taip هوش järki bon sens הֲבָנָה, תוֹבָנָה बुद्धि zdrav razum leleményesség akal skynsemi buon senso 分別 상식; 창의력 nuovoka, protas atjautība; attapība; apķērība kecerdasan otak verstand vett rozum senso bun simţ ум; сообразительность dôvtip; inteligencia zdrav razum razboritost vett, förstånd ความมีไหวพริบ anlayış, akıl, zekâ 創造性 розум سمجھ trí thông minh 创造性

adj ˈwitless

crazy, stupid etc. dom غَبي،أخْرَق، عَديم الذَّكاء глупав hloupý tåbelig geistlos άμυαλος estúpido kohtlane احمق vähäjärkinen stupide טִיפֵּש नासमझ lud, glup ostoba bodoh vitlaus, heimskur sciocco 愚かな 분별없는, 어리석은 kvailas, neprotingas bez prāta; stulbs; truls bodoh; gila hersenloos gal, uten vett, tåpelig tępy estúpido stupid безмозглый hlúpy neduhovit glup enfaldig, dum โง่ aptal, akılsız 愚蠢的 безглуздий, нерозумний بے وقوف ngốc ngếch 愚蠢的

-witted

having understanding or intelligence of a certain kind quick-/sharp-witted. slim, kundig ذو ذكاءٍ -умен ...ducha (snar-)rådig; (skarp-)sindig; (slag-)færdig ....-denkend με μυαλό (ως β΄ συνθ.) de comprensión (...) -aruline هوش älyinen à l'esprit (...) מְהִיר תְּפִיסָה हाजिर-जवाब -razuman vmilyen észjárású berakal -gáfaður (d'ingegno...) 知恵が－の 「이해력이 ...한, 두뇌가 ...한」이란 뜻의 연결형 -proto apķērīgs/neapķērīgs cepat menangkap dengan cepat van begrip (snar)-rådig, (skarp)-sindig, (slag)-ferdig o ... dowcipie/rozumie de compreensão (rápida, etc.) cu spi­rit... ум -vtipný ki je (...) pameti -uman -tänkt, -sinnig ซึ่งมีสติปัญญา ... akıllı, zekî ...智能的 той, що з певним розумом دانشمند có trí óc ...智能的

n ˈwitticism [-sizəm]

a witty remark etc. kwinkslag مُلْحَه، لَطيفَه духовита забележка duchaplnost vittighed witzige Bemerkung ευφυολόγημα, έξυπνη παρατήρηση ocurrencia, agudeza, salida teravmeelsus عاقل sukkeluus mot d'esprit הֶעָרָה שְׁנוּנָה मजेदार duhovita opaska szellemes megjegyzés komentar lucu fyndni, hnyttni arguzia しゃれ 경구, 재담 sąmojinga pastaba, sąmojis asprātība kata-kata yang penuh kejenakaan gevatte opmerking vittighet, åndfullhet dowcipne powiedzenie chiste vorbă de duh остроумное замечание duchaplnosť duhovita opazka dosetka kvickhet คำคม şaka, espri, nükte 打趣話，妙語 дотеп بذلہ سنجی nhận xét dí dỏm 打趣话，妙语

adj ˈwitty

clever and amusing a witty person; witty remarks. humoristiese فَكِه، ظَريف ، حاضِر البديهَه остроумен vtipný vittig witzig πνευματώδης ingenioso, agudo, salado, gracioso teravmeelne با هوش nokkela spirituel שָנוּן हाजिर-जवाबी duhovit szellemes pintar dan lucu fyndinn, hnyttinn spiritoso 機知に富んだ 기지 있는, 재기 발랄한 sąmojingas asprātīgs penuh jenaka; cerdas dan pandai berjenaka gevat slagferdig, vittig, åndfull dowcipny espirituoso spiritual остроумный vtipný duhovit dosetljiv kvick, slagfärdig, spirituell ซึ่งใช้คำพูดอย่างมีไหวพริบ nükteli, hazır cevap 詼諧的 дотепний چالاک اور بذلہ سنج hóm hỉnh 诙谐的

adv ˈwittily

humoristies بِظَرافَه، بِفُكاهَه остроумно vtipně vittigt witzig με χιούμορ ingeniosamente teravmeelselt هوشمندانه nokkelasti avec beaucoup d'esprit בִּשנִינוּת हाजिर-जवाबी के साथ duhovito szellemesen secara pintar hnyttilega in maniera spiritosa 面白おかしく 재치 있게 sąmojingai asprātīgi secara sedar; dgn sengaja gevat slagferdig, vittig, åndfullt dowcipnie com espírito spiritual; cu spirit остроумно vtipne duhovito dosetljivo kvickt, slagfärdigt, spirituellt โดยใช้คำพูดอย่างมีไหวพริบ nükteli, zekîce, hazırcevaplılıkla 情趣橫溢地 дотепно چالاکی سے một cách hóm hỉnh 情趣横溢地

n ˈwittiness

humoristiesheid فُكاهَه، ظَرافَه، بديهَةٍ حاضِرَه остроумие vtipnost vid; slagfærdighed die Witzigkeit πνεύμα ingenio, agudeza teravmeelsus هوشمند älykkyys humour שְׁנִינוּת हाजिर-जवाबी duhovitost szellemesség kepintaran hnyttni, fyndni spirito 才知 재치 있음, 재기 발랄함 sąmojingumas asprātīgums; apķērīgums tidak sengaja gevatheid vidd, slagferdighet dowcip humor umor остроумие vtipnosť duhovitost dosetljivost kvickhet, slagfärdighet, spiritualitet การใช้คำพูดอย่างมีไหวพริบ zekâ, hazır cevaplılık 機敏 дотепність بذلہ سنجی tính chất hóm hỉnh 机敏

at one's wits' end

utterly confused and desperate. desperaat, verward في حَيْرَةٍ من أمْرِه объркан и отчаян s rozumem v koncích ikke ane sine levende råd am Ende seiner Weisheit σε απόγνωση, σε πλήρη σύγχυση desesperado tarkus on otsas گیج شده poissa tolaltaan à bout de ressources אוֹבֵד עֵצוֹת बहुत हताश zbunjen, očajan megáll az esze putus asa vita ekki sitt rjúkandi ráð perplesso 途方にくれて 어찌할 바를 몰라 visiškai pasimetęs nezināt, ko iesākt; bez padoma keliru dan kecewa; bingung ten einde raad ikke vite sin arme råd w kropce desvairado la capătul puterilor в отчаянии s rozumom v koncoch pri kraju s pametjo zbunjen inte veta varken ut eller in จนปัญญา apışıp kalmış, ne yapacağını şaşırmış 智窮計盡 зніяковілий ایسی حالت جس میں عقل کام نہ کرے vô phương 智穷计尽

keep one's wits about one

to be cautious, alert and watchful. versigtig wees يَكونُ حَذِرا أو مُحْتَرِسا внимавам vzít rozum do hrsti holde hovedet koldt einen klaren Kopf behalten έχω τα μάτια μου δεκατέσσερα estar despabilado, no perder la cabeza terane olema مراقب یکی بودن olla varuillaan rester attentif לְהִישָאֵר דָרוּך सतर्क रहना biti pozoran eszénél van hati-hati halda ró sinni og skÿrri hugsun (stare all'erta) 抜け目ない 빈틈이 없다, 방심하지 않고 두루 정신 쓰다 neprarasti galvos būt modram; saņemt visus prātus peka; tajam bij elkaar zijn verstand houden holde hodet kaldt, passe på som en smed być czujnym, nie w ciemię bitym ficar alerta a fi precaut не растеряться vziať rozum do hrsti biti buden biti oprezan hålla huvudet kallt รอบคอบ uyanık olmak, paniğe kapılmamak 保持警覺 не розгубитися چوکس ہونا cảnh giác 保持警觉

live by one's wits

to live by cunning rather than by hard work. as jy nie sterk is nie, moet jy slim wees يَكْسَب رِزْقَه بالمَكْر прехранвам се с хитрини živit se hlavou leve af at snyde folk sich durch's Leben schlagen ζω με κομπίνες vivir del cuento hõlbuelu elama, nihverdama زیرکانه زندگی کردن keinotella elantonsa vivre d'expédients לְהִתפַּרנֵס בְּצוּרָה עַרמוּמִית मेहनत की जगह अकल की कमाई खाना živjeti od pameti máról-holnapra él hidup dengan kelicikan bjarga sér á klókindum (vivere di espedienti) 抜け目のなさで生きる 잔재주로 둘러 맞추다, 교묘히 임시 변통하다 suktis, gudrumu pelnytis duoną būt (dzīvē) apsviedīgam; pamanīties hidup dengan kepintaran otak op bijdehande manier aan de kost komen leve av å lure folk żyć z kombinowania viver de expedientes a trăi de pe o zi pe alta жить на сомнительные доходы žiť z vlastnej šikovnosti živeti od svoje prebrisanosti preživljavati lukavstvom leva på sin intelligens หาเงินอย่างทุจริต açık gözlülükle geçinmek 靠耍手腕過日子 викручуватися طرح طرح کی چالاکیوں سے روزی کمانا sống nhờ sự xảo quyệt 靠耍手腕过日子

(frighten/scare) out of one's wits

(to frighten) (almost) to the point of madness The sight of the gun in his hand scared me out of my wits. asvaal skrik يَدْفَعُ إلى الجُنون، يُفْقِدُه عَقْلَه обезумявам от страх vyděsit k smrti skræmme fra vid og sans zu Tode erschrecken τρελαίνομαι, τρομάζω πάρα πολύ estar muerto de miedo poolsurnuks ehmatama از هوش رفتن pelästyttää puolikuoliaaksi faire une peur bleue (à) לְהַפחִיד עַד מָווֶת दहशत में आना prestrašiti do ludila halálra rémül vmitől membuat sangat takut gera/vera viti sÿnu fjær (spaventare molto) 気も狂うほど 제정신을 잃을 정도로 (놀라게 하다) mirtinai ką (išgąsdinti) pārbiedēt līdz nāvei hilang akal gek, buiten zichzelf skremme vettet av napędzić stracha dar um susto dos diabos a speria de moarte (чуть не) до смерти (напугать) vystrašiť na smrť na smrt prestrašiti prestrašiti skrämma vettet ur ทำให้กลัว ödünü patlatmak 不知所措 до смерті خوف زدہ ہونا sợ hết hồn 不知所措