canny

American  

[kan-ee] / ˈkæn i /

adjective

cannier, canniest

1. careful; cautious; prudent.

   a canny reply.

2. astute; shrewd; knowing; sagacious.

   a canny negotiator.

3. skilled; expert.

4. frugal; thrifty.

   a canny housewife.

5. Scot.

   1. safe to deal with, invest in, or work at (usually used with a negative).

   2. gentle; careful; steady.

   3. snug; cozy; comfortable.

   4. pleasing; attractive.

   5. Archaic. having supernatural or occult powers.

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adverb

1. in a canny manner.

2. Scot. carefully; cautiously.

canny British  

/ ˈkænɪ /

adjective

1. shrewd, esp in business; astute or wary; knowing

2. dialect good or nice: used as a general term of approval

3. lucky or fortunate

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adverb

1. dialect quite; rather

   a canny long while

Other Word Forms

• cannily
  adverb
• canniness
  noun
• overcanny
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of canny

First recorded in 1580–90; can ¹ + -y ¹

Explanation

If you're a canny investor, you know how to spend money to make money — that is, you're prudent, farsighted, and capable of protecting your own interests, particularly in matters of finance or business. In contemporary usage, canny is a synonym for shrewd. Both words mean smart or sharp-witted, but they also suggest that someone is smart in a self-serving and possibly even tricky way. Canny is also related to the word cunning — another adjective meaning "wise," but with negative connotations. Uncanny is not the opposite of canny — it means "weird" or "unsettling."

Example Sentences

Credit must go to Dean, who conceded only two from the 13th over with her canny off-spin.

From BBC • May 30, 2026

Once considered a canny innovator, and then, with his purchase of the flailing Washington Post, a white knight, he has since become the embodiment of capitalism run amok.

From Los Angeles Times • May 5, 2026

The reason for that is resoundingly apparent in the documentary “Bernstein’s Wall,” opening at New York’s Film Forum this weekend, which focuses on both Bernstein’s political activism and politically canny sense of his public.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 23, 2026

Griffin even made for himself an industry town called Frostproof—a canny, if defiant, advertising play, named years prior, after the town had survived the mythic 1895 freeze without much issue.

From Slate • Apr. 20, 2026

But she smiles her canny little smile in a way that makes me think it’s not a bad notion.

From "Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America" by Barbara Ehrenreich

Related Words

• adroit
• astute
• cagey
• cautious
• discreet
• frugal
• ingenious
• intelligent
• judicious
• prudent
• shrewd
• skillful
• sly
• subtle
• wise