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There is not less wit nor less invention in applying rightly a thought one finds in a book, than in being the first author of that thought.
Pierre Bayle

Meaning of "wit" in the English dictionary

Dictionary
DICTIONARY
section

ETYMOLOGY OF THE WORD WIT

Old English witt; related to Old Saxon giwitt, Old High German wizzi (German Witz), Old Norse vit, Gothic witi.
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Etymology is the study of the origin of words and their changes in structure and significance.
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PRONUNCIATION OF WIT

wit  [wɪt] play
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GRAMMATICAL CATEGORY OF WIT

noun
adjective
verb
adverb
pronoun
preposition
conjunction
determiner
exclamation
Wit is a noun.
A noun is a type of word the meaning of which determines reality. Nouns provide the names for all things: people, objects, sensations, feelings, etc.

WHAT DOES WIT MEAN IN ENGLISH?

wit

Wit

Wit is a form of intelligent humour, the ability to say or write things that are clever and usually funny. A wit is a person skilled at making clever and funny remarks. Forms of wit include the quip and repartee.

Definition of wit in the English dictionary

The first definition of wit in the dictionary is the talent or quality of using unexpected associations between contrasting or disparate words or ideas to make a clever humorous effect. Other definition of wit is speech or writing showing this quality. Wit is also a person possessing, showing, or noted for such an ability, esp in repartee.

WORDS THAT BEGIN LIKE WIT

wistly
witan
witblits
witch
witch doctor
witch hazel
witch hunt
witch of Agnesi
witch-elm
witch-hunt
witch-hunter
witch-hunting
witch´s brew
witchbroom
witchcraft
witchen
witcheries
witchery
witches´ brew
witches´ butter

WORDS THAT END LIKE WIT

a bit
benefit
bit
circuit
credit
cut it
Detroit
dit
edit
exclusive OR circuit
exit
fit
for it
fruit
get it
go to it
have had it
hit
I have it
in the shit

Synonyms and antonyms of wit in the English dictionary of synonyms

SYNONYMS

SYNONYMS OF «WIT»

The following words have a similar or identical meaning as «wit» and belong to the same grammatical category.
synonyms of wit

Translation of «wit» into 25 languages

TRANSLATOR
online translator

TRANSLATION OF WIT

Find out the translation of wit to 25 languages with our English multilingual translator.
The translations of wit from English to other languages presented in this section have been obtained through automatic statistical translation; where the essential translation unit is the word «wit» in English.

Translator English - Chinese

智力
1,325 millions of speakers

Translator English - Spanish

ingenio
570 millions of speakers

English

wit
510 millions of speakers

Translator English - Hindi

बुद्धि
380 millions of speakers
ar

Translator English - Arabic

فِطْنَة
280 millions of speakers

Translator English - Russian

остроумие
278 millions of speakers

Translator English - Portuguese

perspicácia
270 millions of speakers

Translator English - Bengali

বুদ্ধি
260 millions of speakers

Translator English - French

esprit
220 millions of speakers

Translator English - Malay

Akui
190 millions of speakers

Translator English - German

geistige Wendigkeit
180 millions of speakers

Translator English - Japanese

機知
130 millions of speakers

Translator English - Korean

재치
85 millions of speakers

Translator English - Javanese

Pinter
85 millions of speakers
vi

Translator English - Vietnamese

sự hóm hỉnh
80 millions of speakers

Translator English - Tamil

அறிவு
75 millions of speakers

Translator English - Marathi

व्यवहारज्ञान
75 millions of speakers

Translator English - Turkish

zekâ
70 millions of speakers

Translator English - Italian

arguzia
65 millions of speakers

Translator English - Polish

dowcip
50 millions of speakers

Translator English - Ukrainian

дотепність
40 millions of speakers

Translator English - Romanian

umor
30 millions of speakers
el

Translator English - Greek

ευστροφία
15 millions of speakers
af

Translator English - Afrikaans

wit
14 millions of speakers
sv

Translator English - Swedish

intellekt
10 millions of speakers
no

Translator English - Norwegian

vett
5 millions of speakers

Trends of use of wit

TRENDS

TENDENCIES OF USE OF THE TERM «WIT»

The term «wit» is very widely used and occupies the 6.468 position in our list of most widely used terms in the English dictionary.
0
100%
FREQUENCY
Very widely used
97
/100
The map shown above gives the frequency of use of the term «wit» in the different countries.
Principal search tendencies and common uses of wit
List of principal searches undertaken by users to access our English online dictionary and most widely used expressions with the word «wit».

FREQUENCY OF USE OF THE TERM «WIT» OVER TIME

The graph expresses the annual evolution of the frequency of use of the word «wit» during the past 500 years. Its implementation is based on analysing how often the term «wit» appears in digitalised printed sources in English between the year 1500 and the present day.

Examples of use in the English literature, quotes and news about wit

EXAMPLES

10 QUOTES WITH «WIT»

Famous quotes and sentences with the word wit.
1
Jensen Ackles
There are just certain things that turn my head. It may be a girl's sense of humor, it may be her wit, or her belief system; it could be a lot of different things.
2
Roger Ascham
There is no such whetstone, to sharpen a good wit and encourage a will to learning, as is praise.
3
Mary Astell
Although it has been said by men of more wit than wisdom, and perhaps more malice than either, that women are naturally incapable of acting prudently, or that they are necessarily determined to folly, I must by no means grant it.
4
Avicenna
The world is divided into men who have wit and no religion and men who have religion and no wit.
5
Donald Barthelme
My mother studied English and drama at the University of Pennsylvania, where my father studied architecture. She was a great influence in all sorts of ways, a wicked wit.
6
Pierre Bayle
There is not less wit nor less invention in applying rightly a thought one finds in a book, than in being the first author of that thought.
7
William Blake
When the green woods laugh with the voice of joy, And the dimpling stream runs laughing by; When the air does laugh with our merry wit, And the green hill laughs with the noise of it.
8
James Boswell
For my own part I think no innocent species of wit or pleasantry should be suppressed: and that a good pun may be admitted among the smaller excellencies of lively conversation.
9
Jeanne Calment
Wit doesn't make girls pretty.
10
Lewis Carroll
While the laughter of joy is in full harmony with our deeper life, the laughter of amusement should be kept apart from it. The danger is too great of thus learning to look at solemn things in a spirit of mockery, and to seek in them opportunities for exercising wit.

10 ENGLISH BOOKS RELATING TO «WIT»

Discover the use of wit in the following bibliographical selection. Books relating to wit and brief extracts from same to provide context of its use in English literature.
1
Wit: A Play
It’s about kindness, but it shows arrogance. It’s about compassion, but it shows insensitivity.” In Wit, Edson delves into timeless questions with no final answers: How should we live our lives knowing that we will die?
Margaret Edson, 2014
2
Wit
" -Sondra Gottliebo. "If it sells, it's art." -Frank Lloydo "I owe a lot to my parents-especially my mother and father." -Gary Player. Wit is refreshingly honest and funny and is sure to become a best-seller!
Des MacHale, 2003
3
Oscar Wilde's Wit and Wisdom: A Book of Quotations
Epigrams, aphorisms, and other bon mots gathered from the celebrated wit's plays, essays, and conversation offer an entertaining selection of observations both comic and profound.
Oscar Wilde, 1998
4
Wit and the Writing of History: The Rhetoric of ...
Wit has many uses in political discourse—to entertain, to underscore or unmask, to hinder or enhance insight. Wit and the Writing of History focuses on how this potential is realized in the historiography of the earlier Principate.
Paul Plass, 1988
5
Aleksandr Griboedov's Woe from Wit: A Commentary and Translation
This work seeks to account for the disparity between Griboedov's Woe from Wit and his other works, by examining his plays and poems, letters and travel notes, the memoirs of his contemporaries, his literary sources and social milieu.
‎2005
6
The Wit and Wisdom of Mark Twain: A Book of Quotations
An anthology of wit and wisdom by Mark Twain collects quotations on a wide range of subjects, including life, love, history, culture, travel, and politics.
Mark Twain, 1998
7
Great Presidential Wit: -- I Wish I was in this Book
The senator and former presidential candidate collects bipartisan presidential humor from famous, and not-so-famous, chief executives, from Washington to Clinton. 125,000 first printing.
Robert J. Dole, 2001
8
Andy Rooney: 60 Years of Wisdom and Wit
The "60 Minutes" commentator brings together his greatest pieces of writing spanning a half-century.
Andy Rooney, 2010
9
Metaphysical Wit
This 1992 book seeks the reason for the central importance of wit in the thinking of the metaphysical poets.
A. J. Smith, 2006
10
At Wit's End
Those rotten kids. If only they'd let me wake up in my own way. Why do they have to line up along my bed and stare at me like Moby Dick just washed up onto a beach somewhere?" From the Paperback edition.
Erma Bombeck, 2011

10 NEWS ITEMS WHICH INCLUDE THE TERM «WIT»

Find out what the national and international press are talking about and how the term wit is used in the context of the following news items.
1
Sarcasm might be the lowest form of wit but it makes people brighter …
People who make sarcastic comments are often accused of using the lowest form of wit but new research suggests sarcasm might make you more creative. «Daily Mail, Jul 15»
2
Book review: The Wicked Wit of Queen Elizabeth II Compiled by …
Renowned by all who know her well for her sparkling sense of humour and wicked wit, Queen Elizabeth II likes nothing better than to enjoy the funny side of life. «Lancashire Evening Post, May 15»
3
WIT Software Partners with Radisys for WebRTC, RCS, VoLTE and …
AMSTERDAM--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Radisys® Corporation (NASDAQ:RSYS), the services acceleration company, and WIT Software, a leading provider of rich ... «Business Wire, May 15»
4
Award Winning Public Relations Firm Launches 7th & Wit, a Digital …
7th & Wit is owned by Jamie Lynn Sigler and Sarah Evans, who successfully launched and own JPR. Named the 12th fastest growing hospitality company in the ... «PR Newswire, Apr 15»
5
UL ease to fifth Fitzgibbon Cup crown
University of Limerick bagged their fifth Fitzgibbon Cup title, thanks to a seven-point win over Waterford IT in a replay at Páirc Uí Rinn. WIT led early on, but once ... «RTE.ie, Mar 15»
6
Late WIT point means Fitzgibbon Cup final goes to replay
The game appeared to have slipped from their grasp when WIT substitute Johnny Hayes struck his third point on 60 minutes. It marked WIT's fifth unanswered ... «Irish Examiner, Feb 15»
7
Grafter Austin Gleeson goes up a notch to inspire WIT for the …
Austin Gleeson had spent much of WIT's Fitzgibbon Cup campaign operating within the shadow of county teammate Pauric Mahony. Yesterday afternoon he ... «Irish Examiner, Feb 15»
8
Will Smith Performs 'Gettin' Jiggy Wit It' Like It's 1998 All Over Again
Smith's long moved past "Gettin' Jiggy Wit It," but he dusted off the once-popular hit for David Letterman on Wednesday night. It's not the #TBT we want, but it's ... «Huffington Post, Feb 15»
9
Further delays in Richard de Wit murder trial
24-year-old Guernsey woman Sarah Groves was killed on a houseboat in India in April 2013. Dutch national Richard De Wit is accused of murdering her but ... «ITV News, Feb 15»
10
Rit Technologies Ltd (RITT), Wipro (WIT) Enter MOU Covering India
Rit Technologies Ltd (NASDAQ: RITT) announced that it has signed an MOU with Wipro Ltd. (NYSE: WIT), an international information technology, consulting ... «StreetInsider.com, Jan 15»

REFERENCE
« EDUCALINGO. Wit [online]. Available <https://educalingo.com/en/dic-en/wit>. Jun 2026 ».
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