How to Use streetwise in a Sentence

streetwise

adjective
  • Salvador Dalí showed up to share drinks with socialites and streetwise musicians alike.
    — Jared T. Miller, Newsweek, 5 Dec. 2015
  • The arrangements are streetwise.
    — Ernesto Lechner, Rolling Stone, 27 Oct. 2025
  • True to form, Bella went the streetwise route, layering hers over a white hoodie that tied in nicely with her on-trend white booties.
    — Maria Ward, Vogue, 20 Dec. 2017
  • The cynical, steadfast, streetwise Celia does much of the novel’s heavy lifting.
    — Elizabeth Hand, Washington Post, 28 Oct. 2019
  • Arnold, in turn, takes up with Alan (Michael Rosen), a streetwise young model and former hustler.
    — Ben Brantley, New York Times, 19 Oct. 2017
  • Via this cultural alchemy, urban school nerds were transformed into streetwise corner boys and girls in the cloisters of elite prep schools.
    — Adolph Reed Jr., The New Republic, 22 Sep. 2020
  • Instead, Chamberland, who had developed a streetwise swagger but few family bonds, moved in with a man twice her age.
    — Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, 24 Aug. 2019
  • Derby Dinner Playhouse presents the story of a streetwise kid who attempts to escape his dead-end life through dancing.
    — Gege Reed, The Courier-Journal, 14 Feb. 2020
  • Indeed, Brennan’s voice is softer than his face, and different from the streetwise directness of his brother.
    — Mattathias Schwartz, New York Times, 27 June 2018
  • His character was tough and streetwise and remains one of the most important characters in the DC universe.
    — Michael Sangiacomo, cleveland.com, 18 Feb. 2018
  • Sancia is more tormented and more streetwise than any hobbit, and Clef builds a rapport with her, unlike Bilbo’s Ring.
    — Tom Shippey, WSJ, 12 Oct. 2018
  • Roosevelt dances into his elementary-school classroom where he is recognized as the streetwise student teacher of a boisterous class.
    — Bryan Greene, Smithsonian, 7 Nov. 2019
  • Though she was seen as more streetwise or tougher than her contemporaries, such as Mariah Carey, Blige’s vocals were both sweet and powerful.
    — Hannah Giorgis, The Atlantic, 10 May 2020
  • Uzi uploaded a series of snaps today that displayed his expertise at melding high-fashion taste with a streetwise sensibility.
    — Rachel Hahn, Vogue, 1 Mar. 2018
  • In their first few seasons as competitors, Pochettino's side were seen as the more streetwise outfit, competent in defence and able to use a number of formations.
    — SI.com, 29 Oct. 2019
  • Not that Reed was recommending his own choices — the speed, the Johnnie Walker, the streetwise transvestites.
    — James Sullivan, San Francisco Chronicle, 4 Jan. 2018
  • There’s 16-year-old DeShawn, attempting to convince us that his streetwise swagger is more than an affectation.
    — David Lyman, Cincinnati.com, 30 Sep. 2017
  • Any number of responses might suggest themselves, particularly to the unwary, and those who are not particularly streetwise.
    — Martin Weil, Washington Post, 22 May 2017
  • In the latest adaptation of the classic novel, Twist sees Oliver reinvented as a streetwise artist living on the streets of modern-day London.
    — Alex Ritman, The Hollywood Reporter, 16 Oct. 2019
  • The collections mix his streetwise sensibility—Spring 2011 features gowns to look like T-shirts tucked into skirts—with his skill as a craftsman.
    — Steff Yotka, Vogue, 22 Dec. 2018
  • Since Nike unveiled its streetwise design for the Nigeria's World Cup team kit three months ago, there has been a frenzy online from people eager to splash out $90 for a shirt.
    — Stephanie Busari and Chris Giles, CNN, 1 June 2018
  • Initially the audience laughed heartily at jokes stemming from that star-worthy kitten, and various gags involving the actors as none-too-streetwise characters pretending to be gangsters.
    — Mekado Murphy, New York Times, 13 Mar. 2016
  • While Cotillard’s ensemble was done in slick satin that felt fit for the office, Hadid’s came in cool denim, which lent a streetwise sensibility less associated with a working wardrobe.
    — Maria Ward, Vogue, 3 Oct. 2017
  • At turns streetwise and geeky, Alonzo riffs on the vicissitudes of life as a Mexican-American who grew up poor and navigates life as an outsider to what is considered mainstream culture.
    — Esther J. Cepeda, The Denver Post, 2 May 2017
  • Johansson spends the movie in an unfortunate blonde wig and glasses, with a thick Long Island accent, as the wife to Teller’s non-streetwise suburban dad, who unwittingly puts a target on his family’s back.
    — Jada Yuan, HollywoodReporter, 17 May 2026
  • For this color-block hoodie patterned after vintage athletic wear, designer Todd Snyder supersizes the Champion logo to streetwise proportions.
    — Vincent Boucher, latimes.com, 19 Apr. 2018
  • If Real have an unquantifiable amount of streetwise-ness in the competition, Liverpool can boast the most prolific attacking trio in Champions League history.
    — Matias Grez, CNN, 14 May 2018
  • DesLauriers calls upon Saunders’s streetwise wiles (the character of Saunders is actually a composite) to expand the field of his digital investigation.
    — Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 18 Jan. 2017

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'streetwise.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Last Updated: