Adjective
a canny card player, good at psyching out his opponents
warm and canny under the woolen bedcovers, we didn't mind the chilly Scottish nights
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Adjective
The chef Brooks Headley seizes the day every day, showing us that vegetables are canny, capricious characters, capable of anything.—Ligaya Mishan, New York Times, 11 May 2026 Byron’s a canny, bold, and incisive critic.—Brittany Allen, Literary Hub, 27 Apr. 2026 In that light, Harbour’s choice to take on the role of Floyd seems like a canny public-relations coup.—Alexandra Schwartz, New Yorker, 24 Apr. 2026 Shell has a reputation for being a canny media executive.—Brent Lang, Variety, 2 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for canny
Word History
Etymology
Adjective
originally Scots & regional northern English, going back to early Scots, "free from risk, sagacious, prudent, cautious," probably from can "ability" (noun derivative of cancan entry 1) + -y-y entry 1