Claire is a clever and compassionate person

[alpacinou]

Does "clever" have a negative connotation? I heard from someone that "clever" has a negative connotation and clever people use their smarts only for their own benefit. Is that accurate?

Is this not correct? : Claire is a clever and compassionate person.

 

[Tarheel]

I don't see "clever" as having negative connotations. If I say about something somebody did that it was clever of them I mean it as a compliment.

As for your sentence, while it is grammatically correct, cleverness and compassion don't necessarily go together.

Added: You might say somebody is kind and compassionate or empathetic and compassionate. Those combinations would, I think, make more sense.

 

[alpacinou]

What about British English? Does "clever" have a negative connotation in British English?

 

[Tarheel]

What about British English? Does "clever" have a negative connotation in British English?

@Rover_KE gave my previous post a like. He's British.

 

[Barque]

What about British English? Does "clever" have a negative connotation in British English?

No. It only has a negative connotation where it's expressly meant. He's too clever for his own good.

 

[Tarheel]

The last word.

The word "clever" is in a sense neutral in that you can use it to describe anything that's planned well -- even criminal activity. That is, you might say somebody was clever in the way he tricked somebody into giving him money. It's still a compliment of sorts, but it's not an endorsement of how that cleverness was used.

 

[5jj]

What about British English? Does "clever" have a negative connotation in British English?

It doesn't have negative connotations as such, but it is not often used in the complimentary way you have used it. We generally use words such as intelligent, bright, knowledgeable.

 

[jutfrank]

The word clever has a positive connotation. That means that when the word is considered outside of all context, most people most of the time think of cleverness as a positive thing.

In context, it may have a neutral or negative meaning, depending on the use.

 

[flos]

There are words which have a negative connotation, but imply cleverness. My immediate thoughts were "sly", "cunning", "crafty" and "calculating".

 

[5jj]

Please read this from the forum rules, flos:

You are welcome to answer questions posted in the Ask a Teacher forum as long as your suggestions, help, and advice reflect a good understanding of the English language. If you are not a teacher, you will need to state that clearly in your posts.

 

[flos]

I apologise, and will do as you say. Thank you.