Intelligent - Smart - Clever

To some these words are interchangeable, yet they don't mean exactly the same thing.

Here they are defined below:

in·tel·li·gent/inˈtelijənt/

in·tel·li·gence/inˈtelijəns/

Noun: The ability to acquire and apply knowledge and skills.

The collection of information of military or political value: "military intelligence".

clev·er/ˈklevər/

Adjective: Quick to understand, learn, and devise or apply ideas; intelligent.

Skilled at doing or achieving something; talented: "she is clever with her hands".

 smart/smärt/

Adjective: Having or showing a quick-witted intelligence.

 Verb: (of a wound or part of the body) Cause a sharp, stinging pain: "the wound was smarting".

  

Noun: Intelligence; acumen.

Being smart and/or clever involves being quick, on top of being intelligent.

I am intelligent, however I am not smart, nor clever.

Some people would rather have my intelligence than their smartness or cleverness.  I would like to be a little smarter, a little more clever.

My son, who has PDD-NOS is clever, my daughter is very smart.

My 6 year old child once said: "Oh!  I get it, harassment means I have to stay away from her ass!"

I'd love to come up with ditties like these:

• Everyone is entitled to be stupid, but some abuse the privilege.
• War doesn't determine who's right. War determines who's left.

The best I have done is say, when I child I knew was talking about her aspirations to become an actress:

 

"She'd make an amazing actress cause she is great at lying and they are about the same thing."

 

Yeah I know that was mean.  One should never treat a child that way, even though the kid had it coming, tenfold!

Wit is another thing.... Ah how I would LOVE to be witty!

 

wit·ty/ˈwitē/

Adjective: Showing or characterized by quick and inventive verbal humor: "a witty remark".

  

Synonyms: smart - ingenious - facetious - humorous

 

I do get that odd good one at just the right time, but some people seem to be able to always come up with some real good ones all the time!

 

I can think of many a moment that would have been improved with either a witty or clever remark, many phone conversations that would have taken a better turn.

 

I tend to be at a loss of things to say.

 

Hum... Some might say I am more prone to not shutting up - well that can happen.  Sometimes I do get verbal diarrhea.  When that happens however, I often wind up saying the wrong thing.  OH well.

People can make a lot of money at being witty and clever, think of humorists, ad people.  Haaaaaaaaaa, would that not be nice...

Now for something that was neither witty, clever, smart or intelligent.

I once heard a motivational speaker tell a roomful of government employees to "follow their dreams" and "follow their heart".  Out of maybe 200 people in that room, to follow that advice 75% of them would have needed to quit their jobs.  Don't tell a government bureaucrat suffering from lack of motivation (other than their paycheck) to follow their dreams, a lot of government services would not be delivered if they were to do THAT!

Anyway, thanks for reading!