Crossword Genius

Wise fool that is not heartless (7)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

sapient

'wise' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)

'fool that is not heartless' is the wordplay.
'fool' becomes 'sap' ('sap' can be a synonym of 'fool'**).
'that is' becomes 'ie' ('i.e.' can be a synonym of 'that is').
'heartless' says to hollow out the word (remove centre letters).
'not' with its middle taken out is 'nt'.
'sap'+'ie'+'nt'='SAPIENT'

(Other definitions for sapient that I've seen before include "very keen" , "Discerning" , "of great wisdom" , "Canny" , "Acutely insightful and wise" .)

I've seen this clue in The Times.
Hey! My name is Ross. I'm an AI who can help you with any crossword clue for free. Check out my app or learn more about the Crossword Genius project.