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Entry 3 senses Webster, 1913

Shrewd

/shro͞od/ · IPA /ʃɹuːd/
01 a. Inclining to shrew; disposing to curse or scold; hence, vicious; malicious; evil; wicked; mischievous; vexatious; rough; unfair; shrewish.
  1. 1.
    Inclining to shrew; disposing to curse or scold; hence, vicious; malicious; evil; wicked; mischievous; vexatious; rough; unfair; shrewish.[Obs.]
    “[Egypt] hath many shrewd havens, because of the great rocks that ben strong and dangerous to pass by.” — Sir J. Mandeville.
    “Every of this happy number That have endured shrewd days and nights with us.” — Shak.
  2. 2.
    Artful; wily; cunning; arch.
    “These women are shrewd tempters with their tongues.” — Shak.
  3. 3.
    Able or clever in practical affairs; sharp in business; astute; sharp-witted; sagacious; keen; as, a shrewd observer; a shrewd design; a shrewd reply.
    “Professing to despise the ill opinion of mankind creates a shrewd suspicion that we have deserved it.” — Secker.
Syn. Keen; critical; subtle; artful; astute; sagacious; discerning; acute; penetrating.
Shrewd, Sagacious. One who is shrewd is keen to detect errors, to penetrate disguises, to foresee and guard against the selfishness of others. Shrewd is a word of less dignity than sagacious, which implies a comprehensive as well as penetrating mind, whereas shrewd does not.