cunning

[ kuhn-ing ]

noun

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

   Synonyms: deception, intrigue, trickery

2. adeptness in performance; dexterity:

   The weaver's hand had not lost its cunning.

   Synonyms: agility, adroitness

adjective

1. showing or made with ingenuity.

   Synonyms: skillful, ingenious

2. artfully subtle or shrewd; crafty; sly.

   Synonyms: foxy, tricky, wily, artful

3. Informal. charmingly cute or appealing:

   a cunning little baby.

4. Archaic. skillful; expert.

verb

1. Obsolete. present participle of can ¹.

cunning

/ ˈkʌnɪŋ /

adjective

1. crafty and shrewd, esp in deception; sly

   cunning as a fox

2. made with or showing skill or cleverness; ingenious

noun

1. craftiness, esp in deceiving; slyness
2. cleverness, skill, or ingenuity

Derived Forms

• ˈcunningness, noun
• ˈcunningly, adverb

Other Words From

• cun·ning·ly adverb
• cun·ning·ness noun
• o·ver·cun·ning adjective
• o·ver·cun·ning·ness noun
• qua·si-cun·ning adjective

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 )

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

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.

Example Sentences

Under him, Ireland played with more cunning, deception and trick set-pieces than a street magician.

From BBC

“Picking Barnier was a cunning move. The best choice,” said Lasserre, arguing that the former EU commissioner was an experienced hand, who might buy Mr Macron some time.

From BBC

Poltava regional governor Philip Pronin called the attack a "cunning and cynical Russian strike," and later said that 15 people were still thought to be trapped under the rubble.

From BBC

“I didn't know what he was like. He was a very cunning man.”

From BBC

A fresh generation of players is trying to beat and break Minecraft with deliriously creative and cunning strategies.

From New York Times