streetwise

IPA/ˈstriːtwaɪz/
KK[strˈitwˌaɪz]IPA/ˈstriːtwaɪz/

streetwise — adjective

  • streetwisepositive
  • more streetwisecomparative
  • most streetwisesuperlative

1. knowing from experience how to protect yourself and make sensible choices in a c

1.adjectiveB2
Definition

knowing from experience how to protect yourself and make sensible choices in a city where danger or trouble is common

Example

After two years delivering food at midnight, Yasmin became streetwise enough to avoid trouble.

become + streetwise through repeated city experience

The streetwise taxi driver spotted the fake address before the men got in.

streetwise + noun before a person role

Common collocations
  • streetwise kid
  • streetwise teenager
  • streetwise taxi driver
  • streetwise advice
  • become streetwise
  • look streetwise
Synonyms
  • street-smart

    closest everyday synonym; slightly more conversational, especially in North American English

  • savvy

    broader; can describe practical skill in business or social situations, not only urban danger

  • shrewd

    emphasizes clever judgment and may suggest calculation or self-interest

  • worldly

    describes broad life experience, often without the sense of immediate street danger

Antonyms
  • naive

    easily fooled and lacking the caution that streetwise people develop

  • sheltered

    protected from rough situations and therefore less ready to handle them

Grammar Patterns

be + streetwise

streetwise + noun

become + streetwise

Usage Note

Usually describes people who have learned quick judgment from real city experience. It often suggests alertness to risk and deception, not academic knowledge or general intelligence.

Common Mistakes

Rina is streetwise at chemistry.
Rina is good at chemistry.
streetwise is about handling real-life people or risky situations, not school subjects.
One quiet weekend in the village made Jun streetwise.
Years of late-night bus rides across Taipei made Jun streetwise.
the word usually implies hard-won experience in rough city settings.

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

Streetwise focuses on practical self-protection learned from dealing with real people and danger in city life. Street-smart is the closest everyday synonym and often sounds a little more informal. Savvy is broader: a savvy person can understand business, media, or social situations without any rough urban background. Shrewd highlights sharp judgment and may suggest calculation or self-interest. Worldly describes experience of society and human behavior more generally, often without the sense of immediate danger. If a teenager knows which station exit is safest at midnight, streetwise fits best. If an investor reads a contract carefully, savvy or shrewd is more natural. If someone has seen a lot of society, worldly may fit better.

street-smartsavvy ↗shrewd ↗worldly ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • streetwise kid
  • streetwise teenager
  • streetwise taxi driver
  • streetwise advice

Adverbs

  • highly streetwise
  • surprisingly streetwise
  • very streetwise

Phrases

  • become streetwise
  • look streetwise
  • streetwise enough to avoid trouble

Etymology

English

Streetwise is a modern English compound built from street and wise. It was formed to describe the kind of judgment people learn from real life on city streets, especially when they need to notice danger quickly and protect themselves. From that idea, it came to mean being hard to fool and practical in rough urban situations rather than being educated in a classroom sense.

First known use

1949

1949, in the meaning defined above