Advertisement

Advertisement

View synonyms for

cunning

[kuhn-ing]

noun

  1. skill employed in a shrewd or sly manner, as in deceiving; craftiness; guile.

    Synonyms: , ,
  2. adeptness in performance; dexterity.

    The weaver's hand had not lost its cunning.

    Synonyms: ,


adjective

  1. showing or made with ingenuity.

    Synonyms: ,
  2. artfully subtle or shrewd; crafty; sly.

    Synonyms: , , ,
  3. Informal.charmingly cute or appealing.

    a cunning little baby.

  4. Archaic.skillful; expert.

verb

  1. Obsolete.present participle of can.

cunning

/ ˈʌɪŋ /

adjective

  1. crafty and shrewd, esp in deception; sly

    cunning as a fox

  2. made with or showing skill or cleverness; ingenious

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

noun

  1. craftiness, esp in deceiving; slyness

  2. cleverness, skill, or ingenuity

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Discover More

Other Word Forms

  • cunningly adverb
  • cunningness noun
  • overcunning adjective
  • overcunningness noun
  • quasi-cunning adjective
  • ˈܲԲԾԲԱ noun
  • ˈܲԲԾԲ adverb
Discover More

Word History and Origins

Origin of cunning1

First recorded in 1275–1325; (noun) Middle English; Old English cunnung, equivalent to cunn(an) “to know” ( can 1 ) + -ung -ing 1; (adjective, verb) Middle English, present participle of cunnan “to know” ( can 1, -ing 2 )
Discover More

Word History and Origins

Origin of cunning1

Old English cunnende; related to cunnan to know (see can 1 ), cunnian to test, experience, Old Norse kunna to know
Discover More

Synonym Study

Cunning, artifice, craft imply an inclination toward deceit, slyness, and trickery. Cunning implies a shrewd, often instinctive skill in concealing or disguising the real purposes of one's actions: not intelligence but a low kind of cunning. An artifice is a clever, unscrupulous ruse, used to mislead others: a successful artifice to conceal one's motives. Craft suggests underhand methods and the use of deceptive devices and tricks to attain one's ends: craft and deceitfulness in every act.
Discover More

Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

But Zephyr is as worldly as Bruce is, meaning that she’s a cunning foil to his long-running string of untraceable serial murders.

From

The prosecution described him as "cunning and resourceful" and said he carried dog biscuits with him.

From

Ethan’s ability to thwart his enemies at every turn through sheer will and cunning is bested only by his unyielding compassion.

From

“Art passes too,” she says, “but a little more slowly, because art is more cunning.”

From

He comes from a mangled life and he’s very cunning and very brutish.

From

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement


cunnilingusCunningham