street smart
Urban survival instincts
Street smart describes practical knowledge gained from real-world experience, especially in urban environments, as opposed to formal education.
Someone who is street smart knows how to navigate tricky social situations, spot danger, and handle themselves in unpredictable circumstances: Book smart doesn't mean street smart.
The noun is street smarts: She had the street smarts to avoid that neighborhood at night.
Practically clever, perceptive
- wilySkilled at deception
- craftyCleverly deceptive
- slyCleverly deceptive
- calculatingColdly self-serving in strategy
scheming · canny · sharp · clever · astute · manipulative · conniving · devious
Warning or watchfulness
- vigilantKeenly aware of danger
- observantNoticing things readily
- perceptiveQuick to understand
- watchfulCarefully attentive, observant
cautious · wary · intuitive · instinctive · savvy · sharp-eyed · suspicious · paranoid
Skilled at solving problems
- quick-thinkingMentally rapid, resourceful
- improvisationSpontaneous, unplanned creation
- resilientAble to recover quickly
- flexibleAble to bend freely
versatile · pragmatic · practical · scrappy · hustle · pivoting · problem-solving · opportunistic
Protecting oneself from harm
- escapeFlight from captivity
- evadeEscape by cunning
- hustleEnergetic, aggressive action
- scavengeGather from waste
protection · safety · refuge · tough · gritty · hardened · seasoned · battle-tested
Public urban ways
- neighborhoodResidential area nearby
- blockSolid mass, or impede
- cornerMeeting point of edges
- alleywayNarrow urban passage
bodega · subway · projects · hood · ghetto · inner-city · back-alley · sidewalk
shrewd
Practically clever, perceptive
calculating · scheming · canny · sharp · clever · astute · manipulative · conniving · devious · slick
alert
Warning or watchfulness
- vigilantKeenly aware of danger
- observantNoticing things readily
- perceptiveQuick to understand
watchful · cautious · wary · intuitive · instinctive · savvy · sharp-eyed · suspicious · paranoid
resourceful
Skilled at solving problems
- quick-thinkingMentally rapid, resourceful
- improvisationSpontaneous, unplanned creation
- resilientAble to recover quickly
flexible · versatile · pragmatic · practical · scrappy · hustle · pivoting · problem-solving · opportunistic · nimble
self-defense
Protecting oneself from harm
scavenge · protection · safety · refuge · tough · gritty · hardened · seasoned · battle-tested · world-weary
streets
Public urban ways
- neighborhoodResidential area nearby
- blockSolid mass, or impede
- cornerMeeting point of edges
alleyway · bodega · subway · projects · hood · ghetto · inner-city · back-alley · sidewalk · stoop
- Safety Tipsstay alert, lock it up, see something say something, buddy system, well-lit areas
- knowledgeknowledge, common knowledge, general knowledge, factual knowledge, prior knowledge
- cunningcunning, craftiness, crafty, guile, slyness
- life lessonslesson learned, moral, lessons learned, life lessons, parable
- self-educationautodidacticism, autodidact, self-study, self-directed learning, self-instruction
- Smartsintelligent, genius, gifted, brilliant, clever
street smartnaive
Innocently unsuspecting
gullible · sheltered · unworldly · innocent · book smart
street smartbook smart
Academically intelligent, not practical
bookish · academic · ivory tower · scholarly · intellectual