street-smart
Wise to danger
Street-smart describes practical intelligence gained from experience in urban environments, especially rough or dangerous ones.
A street-smart person knows how to navigate social situations, avoid trouble, and read people's intentions: She's street-smart enough to know when someone's running a scam.
The term contrasts with book-smart, suggesting survival skills over formal education.
Practically clever, perceptive
- savvyPractical shrewdness
- cannyShrewdly practical and cautious
- astuteMentally sharp, discerning
- wilySkilled at deception
sharp · clever · crafty · calculating · sly · quick-witted · perceptive · discerning
Having practical knowledge gained
- savvyPractical shrewdness
- knowingPossessing awareness or insight
- seasonedFlavored or battle-tested
- realisticTrue to life
pragmatic · no-nonsense · cynical · jaded · hardboiled · unsheltered · wise · learned
Skilled at solving problems
- adaptableAble to adjust readily
- resilientAble to recover quickly
- toughDurable and strong
- grittyCoarse or courageous
scrappy · self-reliant · vigilant · wary · cautious · alert · instincts · awareness
shrewd
Practically clever, perceptive
wily · sharp · clever · crafty · calculating · sly · quick-witted · perceptive · discerning · keen
experienced
Having practical knowledge gained
realistic · pragmatic · no-nonsense · cynical · jaded · hardboiled · unsheltered · wise · learned · tough-minded
resourceful
Skilled at solving problems
gritty · scrappy · self-reliant · vigilant · wary · cautious · alert · instincts · awareness · quick-thinking
metropolitan
Of a major city
- downtownCentral business district
- neighborhoodResidential area nearby
- subwayUnderground transit passage
hustle · sidewalk · alley · backstreet · shortcut · transit · commute · traffic · crosswalk · bodega
- practicalpractical, pragmatic, realistic, sensible, reasonable
- Non-academic learnersautodidacts, self-taught
- worldlyworldly, cosmopolitan, globe-trotter, globetrotter, world traveler
street-smartnaive
Innocently unsuspecting
naïve · sheltered · innocent · inexperienced · unworldly
street-smartbook-smart
Educated through study
bookish · academic · ivory-tower · theoretical · scholarly