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 film makes canny use of Short’s cassette tape.—Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 13 Sep. 2025 Veltman is canny and dependable.—Andy Naylor, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2025 Fahy’s expert balancing of sweet and canny, world-weary and naïve in the role earned her an Emmy nomination in Supporting Actress and a massive following.—Antonia Blyth, Deadline, 19 Aug. 2025 One famous example of a canny international tax strategy was Apple’s domicile in Ireland, along with so many other multinationals keeping their international profits offshore in affiliates in order to avoid paying U.S. tax, which at the time applied to all worldwide income upon repatriation.—Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 16 Aug. 2025 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
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