Shifty vs Astute - What's the difference?
shifty | astute | Related terms |
Having the appearance of someone dishonest, criminal or unreliable; such as someone with shifty eyes .
Subject to frequent changes in direction.
* 1971 , Henry Handel Richardson, Ultima Thule (page 121)
Full of, or ready with, shifts or expedients.
* Charles Kingsley
quickly and critically discerning
shrewd or crafty
* 2014 , A teacher, "
Shifty is a related term of astute.
As adjectives the difference between shifty and astute
is that shifty is having the appearance of someone dishonest, criminal or unreliable; such as someone with shifty eyes while astute is quickly and critically discerning.shifty
English
Adjective
(er)- He was a shifty character in a seedy bar and I checked my wallet was still there after talking to him.
- Off he raced, shuffling his bare feet through the hot, dry, shifty sand. But it was no good: she didn't care.
- (Wright)
- Shifty and thrifty as old Greek or modern Scot, there were few things he could not invent, and perhaps nothing he could not endure.
astute
English
Adjective
(er)Choosing a primary school: a teacher's guide for parents", The Guardian , 23 September 2014:
- The best headteachers are like submarine captains – cool-headed, astute decision-makers – who trust their colleagues and surroundings to indicate where their ship is headed.
