A.skilled in any handicraft or art, clever, ἁρματηλάτας ς. Pi.P.5.115, cf. N.7.17; “κυβερνήτης” A.Supp.770; “μάντις” Id.Th.382; “οἰωνοθέτας” S.OT484 (lyr.); of a sculptor, E.Fr.372; even of hedgers and ditchers, Margites Fr.2; but in this sense mostly of poets and musicians, Pi.O.1.9, P.1.42, 3.113; ἐν κιθάρᾳ ς. E.IT1238 (lyr.), cf. Ar.Ra.896 (lyr.), etc.; τὴν τέχνην -ώτερος ib.766; “περί τι” Pl.Lg.696c; γλώσσῃ ς. S.Fr.88.10; “σοφὸς ὁ πολλὰ εἰδὼς φυᾷ, μαθόντες δὲ λάβροι” Pi.O.2.86.
2. clever in practical matters, wise, prudent, ὁ χρήσιμ᾽ εἰδώς, οὐχ ὁ πόλλ᾽ εἰδώς, ς. A.Fr.390; esp. statesmanlike, in which sense the seven Sages were so called, Dicaearch. ap.D.L.1.40: hence, shrewd, worldly-wise, Thgn.120, Pi.I.2.12, Hdt. 3.85; “ς. ἄνδρες εἰσὶ Θεσσαλοὶ” Id.7.130; “ς. παλαιστὴς . . , ἀλλὰ χαἱ χαἱ σοφαὶ γνῶμαι . . ἐμποδίζονται” S.Ph.431, cf. 440, Aj.1374; πολλὰ ς. A.Ag. 1295; ἃ δεῖ ς. E.Ba.655 sq.; “τῶν λεγομένων πονηρῶν μέν, σοφῶν δέ” Pl. R.519a: also “σοφαὶ πραπίδες” Pi.O.11(10).10; “φύσις” Ar.V.1282: even of animals, X.Cyn.3.7 (Comp.), 6.13 (Sup.); “ς. πειθώ” Pi.P.9.39 codd. (σοφοῖς Bgk.); “εὐβουλία” A.Pr.1038: τὸ ς. my little trick, Pl.R.502d; your clever notion, Id.Euthd.293d; τἀπ᾽ ἐμοῦ σοφά, δάκρυα my tears, all the resources that I have, E.IA1214; εἰ δίκαια, τῶν σοφῶν κρείσσω τάδε better than all craft, S.Ph.1246; σοφόν [ἐστι] c. inf., E. Hec.228.
b. more generally, learned, wise, “τὸ μὲν ς. [αὐτὸν] καλεῖν ἔμοιγε μέγα εἶναι δοκεῖ καὶ θεῷ μόνῳ πρέπειν” Pl.Phdr.278d, cf. 279c, Prt.329e, Ap.21a (Comp.), 22c (Sup.); opp. ἀμαθής, ib.25d (Comp.); of sophists, ib.20a, Prt.309d, X.Mem.2.1.21, etc.; universally and ideally wise, “ὁ ς., τουτέστιν ὁ τὴν τοῦ ἀληθοῦς ἐπιστήμην ἔχων” Chrysipp.Stoic.2.42, cf. 3.167, al.: later σοφώτατος as a title, esp. of lawyers or professors, PIand.16.4 (v/vi A.D.), POxy.126.6 (vi A.D.).
3. subtle, ingenious, opp. ἀμαθής (1445) and σαφής, Ar.Ra. 1434 (Adv.); “σοφόν τοι τὸ σαφές, οὐ τὸ μὴ σαφές” E.Or.397; τὸ σοφὸν οὐ σοφία wisdom overmuch is no wisdom, Id.Ba.395 (lyr.); τί οὖν ἦν τοῦτο; οὐδὲν ποικίλον οὐδὲ σοφόν nothing curious or recondite, D.9.37.—For the senses of ς., v. Arist.EN1141a10.—mostly abs., but c. acc. rei, E.Ba.655, Pl.Phlb.17c, etc.; also ἐν οἰωνοῖς, κιθάρᾳ, E. IT662, 1238 (lyr.); “εἴς τι” Id.Fr.162 (Sup.); περί τι or τινος, Pl.Smp. 203a, Ap.19c: rarely c. gen., “σοφὸς κακῶν” A.Supp.453: also c. inf., πῶς δῆτ᾽ ἔγωγ᾽ ἂν . . Διὸς γενοίμην εὖ φρονεῖν σοφώτερος; S.Fr.524.7.
II. of things, cleverly devised, wise, “νόμος” Hdt.1.196 (Sup.); νοήματα, ἔπεα, Pi.O.7.72 (Sup.), P.4.138, etc.; “γνῶμαι” S.Aj.1091; “νοῦς” Id.El.1016; πάντα προσφέρων σοφά all wise sayings, Id.Fr.763, cf. Ph.1245; “χρόνου τε διατριβὰς σοφωτάτας ἐφηῦρε” Id.Fr.479; “σοφώτερ᾽ ἢ κατ᾽ ἄνδρα συμβαλεῖν ἔπη” E.Med.675; “ς. φυγή” Id.Supp.151; οὐδὲν σοφὸν εἶναι shows no great wisdom, Arist.EN1137a10.
III. Adv. σοφῶς cleverly, wisely, etc., first (?) in S.(?)Fr.1122; then in E.Alc. 699, Ba.1271 codd., Heracl.558, Ar.Ra.1434, etc.: Comp. “-ώτερον” E. Hec.1007: Sup. “-ώτατα” Id.Hel.1528, Ar.Nu.522:—σοφῶς, as an exclamation of applause, Plu.2.45f, Mart.3.46.8, etc. (Not in Ep., exc. in Margites l.c. and as ancient v.l. (Eust.1023.14) in Il.23.712; but v. σοφία, σοφίζομαι.)