Savvy

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Grammarist

Savvy is a word that has been in use since the 1780s. We will examine the definition of the word savvy, where it came from and some examples of its use in sentences.

Savvy means knowledgeable, having street smarts or good common sense, having sound judgement. Savvy may also be used as a one-word question, as in “Savvy?” to mean “Do you understand?” This particular use of the word savvy was popularized by the Pirates of the Caribbean movie series, starring Johnny Depp. Savvy is used as an adjective, noun or verb, related words are savvied, savvying, savvier, savviest, savvily, savviness. The word savvy is derived from the Creole sabi, which in turn was derived from the Portuguese word sabe, which means he knows. Savvy is an interesting word, as very few English words are spelled with a double v.

Examples

A savvy single mother has revealed how she has won £10,000 worth of prizes – by entering up to 500 online competitions a day. (The Daily Mail)

Going forward, finding an appropriate way to leverage day-to-day data around what patients/consumers want to be doing, with a savvier approach to health and wellness, may form a roadmap. (Medical Marketing and Media)

Instead he saw Kevin Garnett, the Brooklyn Nets’ weather-beaten veteran who still remains one of the savviest interior defenders in the league, take a step in his direction and step away from James’ teammate Chris Bosh. (USA Today)

And colleges have been careful to avoid talking about their enrollment woes, meaning only the savviest consumers know they can negotiate to lower their bills. (The Hechinger Report)

Amazon is venturing here, where no major retailer has gone before, offering workshops to initiate some of the most talented — and least tech savvy — artisans in the mysteries of online selling. (The Seattle Times)

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