crafty

[ kraf-tee, krahf- ]

adjective

, craft·i·er, craft·i·est.

1. skillful in underhand or evil schemes; cunning; deceitful; sly.

   Synonyms: scheming, designing, tricky, wily

2. Obsolete. skillful; ingenious; dexterous.

crafty

/ ˈkrɑːftɪ /

adjective

1. skilled in deception; shrewd; cunning
2. archaic.
   skilful

Derived Forms

• ˈcraftily, adverb
• ˈcraftiness, noun

Other Words From

• crafti·ly adverb
• crafti·ness noun
• quasi-crafti·ly adverb
• quasi-crafty adjective
• un·crafti·ly adverb
• un·crafti·ness noun
• un·crafty adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of crafty¹

before 900; Middle English; Old English cræftig skilled. See craft, -y ¹

Example Sentences

But Bruno is crafty, and he manages to escape from prison, well, more than once.

From Salon

On this occasion, the England spinners were shown up by Pakistan's crafty campaigners Sajid and Noman.

From BBC

The crafty winger, who is known for dancing past defenders, has struggled with injury throughout her career but she starred on all fronts for Barcelona over the past 12 months.

From BBC

The pub trips started with then students Ken and Paul, who used to take advantage of free study periods to play golf and have a crafty pint afterwards.

From BBC

Sometimes, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said, all it takes one bad matchup, or one crafty pitcher, for a hitter to “trigger bad habits” in their swing.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• astute
• cagey
• canny
• devious
• insidious
• shrewd
• slick
• sly
• wily