wit means sanity. It carries an Arena rating of 1679, earned across 3 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, wit ranks #684 of 14,361 for Most Ingenious Words, #1,386 of 25,264 for Qualifying, #2,374 of 14,451 for Most Whimsical Words, #2,580 of 14,456 for The Improbable.
wit is pronounced /wɪt/.
Why “wit” is a great word
The capacity for inventive thought and quick, clever humor, as well as intelligence or sanity; archaically, to know or be aware of. From Old English witt ('mind, understanding'), from Proto-Germanic *witją ('knowledge, reason'), from the root *witaną ('to know'), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *weyd- ('to see, to know'). Unlike 'repartee,' which is the sparkling retort itself, or 'wisdom,' which carries the weight of considered judgment, wit is the live-wire intelligence that generates the spark. It is the sudden, perfectly timed turn of phrase, the unexpected metaphor that clicks a confusing world into sense, and the private, glinting understanding shared in a glance—a fleeting proof, against the gathering dark, that we are not alone.
Etymology
From Middle English wit, witt, wyt, from Old English witt (“mind, sanity, sense, understanding”), from Proto-West Germanic *witi, from Proto-Germanic *witją (“knowledge; reason; wit”), from Proto-Germanic *witaną (“to know”), from Proto-Indo-European *wóyde (“to know”), from *weyd- (“to see”).
Cognates
Cognate with Dutch wit (“knowledge”), German and Luxembourgish Witz (“joke; humour, wit”), Low German Weet (“knowledge; idea; inkling”), Yiddish וויץ (vits, “joke”), Danish vid (“wit”), Faroese and Icelandic vit (“intelligence, wits; reason, sense; knowledge; awareness, sentience”), Norwegian Bokmål and Swedish vett (“intelligence, sense, wit”), Norwegian Nynorsk vett, vit (“sense, wits”), Gothic 𐌿𐌽𐍅𐌹𐍄𐌹 (unwiti, “folly, ignorance”); also Breton gouzout (“to know”), Cornish godhvos, gof
noun
- Sanity.“He's gone completely out of his wits.”
- The senses.“Keep your wits about you.”
- Intellectual ability; faculty of thinking, reasoning.“Where she has gone to is beyond the wit of man to say.”
- The ability to think quickly; mental cleverness, especially under short time constraints.“My father had a quick wit and a steady hand.”
- Intelligence; common sense.“The opportunity was right in front of you, and you didn't even have the wit to take it!”
- Humour, especially when clever or quick.“The best man's speech was hilarious, full of wit and charm.”
- A person who tells funny anecdotes or jokes; someone witty.“Your friend is quite a wit, isn't he?”
verb
- To know, be aware of (constructed with of when used intransitively).“You committed terrible actions — to wit, murder and theft — and should be punished accordingly.”
Words closest in meaning
By meaning, not spelling — each word's AI semantic fingerprint, nearest first.
- intellect 84% match — The faculty of thinking, judging, abstract reasoning, and conceptual understanding; the cognitive faculty. vs wit →
- mirth 82% match — The emotion usually following humor and accompanied by laughter. vs wit →
- repartee 82% match — A swift, witty reply, especially one that is amusing. vs wit →
- inwit 82% match — Inward knowledge or understanding. vs wit →
- insight 82% match — A sight or view of the interior of anything; a deep inspection or view; introspection; frequently used with into. vs wit →
- sapience 82% match — The property of being sapient, the property of possessing or being able to possess wisdom. vs wit →
- acumen 82% match — Quickness of perception or discernment; penetration of mind; the faculty of nice discrimination; acuity of mind. vs wit →
- acuity 81% match — Sharpness or acuteness, as of a needle, wit, etc. vs wit →