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 designers showed a canny understanding of how guests use hotel rooms now.—Ann Abel, Forbes, 18 Mar. 2025 Thatcher gets to explore a few different directions for Iris over the course of Companion, including numbing dullness, canny super-expertise, and steely aggression on par with the Terminator.—David Sims, The Atlantic, 3 Feb. 2025 The show explores how Nara’s personal life informs his work, and highlights his canny ability to blend childlike innocence with political rebellion.—Violet Goldstone, Footwear News, 5 June 2025 Animation Station Vampire Hunter D This stone-cold, ’80s goth anime classic is rarely available to stream legally, and the dual Hidive-Shudder collaborative release is a canny way to present it.—Savannah Salazar, Vulture, 2 June 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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