witty
adjectiveattested in dialogue
- United Kingdom//ˈwɪti//
- United States//ˈwɪti//
- United States/[ˈwɪɾi]/
Clever; amusingly ingenious.
adjective
- 1
Clever; amusingly ingenious.
His speech was both witty and informative.
- 2
Full of wit.
His frequent quips mark him as particularly witty.
- 3
Quick of mind; insightful; in possession of wits.
She may have grown older, but she has grown no less witty.
- 4
obsoleteWise, having good judgement.
- 5
archaicPossessing a strong intellect or intellectual capacity; intelligent, skilful, ingenious.
It hath beene a witty invention[…]to establish and ordaine certaine vaine and worthles markes, therewith to honor and recompence vertue[…].
Etymology
From Middle English witty, witti, from Old English wittiġ, witiġ, ġewittiġ (“clever, wise”), from Proto-West Germanic *witīg, *witag, from Proto-Germanic *witagaz, *wītagaz (“knowing, wise, clever”), equivalent to wit + -y. Cognate with Middle Low German wittich, gewittich (“knowing, clever, wise, understanding”), German witzig (“funny, witty”), Norwegian Bokmål vettig, Norwegian Nynorsk vittig (“witty”).
Forms
- comparative
- wittier
- superlative
- wittiest