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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 1.

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
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Derived Forms

  • ˈܲԲԾԲԱ, noun
  • ˈܲԲԾԲ, adverb
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Other yvlog Forms

  • ܲ·ԾԲ· adverb
  • ܲ·ԾԲ·Ա noun
  • ··ܲ·ԾԲ adjective
  • o·ver·ܲ·ԾԲ·Ա noun
  • ܲ·-ܲ·ԾԲ adjective
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yvlog 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 )
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yvlog 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
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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.
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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

It was seen as a cunning way to save on candles.

From

The "hobbling" scene—she uses a sledgehammer to break Paul’s ankles—elevated her to canonical b***h status: a cunning, brutal and mercurial harridan who hides her malice behind a folksy façade.

From

She may be cunning, but that doesn’t mean she doesn’t care or she’s cruel.

From

Their infatuations are challenged by a cunning philosopher who persuades the bros to pretend they’ve been suddenly drafted and to return later in disguise to woo each other’s fiancée.

From

Blake: I also loved that exchange, Yvonne, and it made me wonder if Victoria is more cunning than her heavily medicated persona would suggest.

From

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