Definition of CUNNING

Choose the Right Synonym for cunning

Adjective

clever, adroit, cunning, ingenious mean having or showing practical wit or skill in contriving. clever stresses physical or mental quickness, deftness, or great aptitude. a person clever with horses adroit often implies a skillful use of expedients to achieve one's purpose in spite of difficulties. an adroit negotiator cunning implies great skill in constructing or creating. a filmmaker cunning in his use of special effects ingenious suggests the power of inventing or discovering a new way of accomplishing something. an ingenious software engineer

sly, cunning, crafty, wily, tricky, foxy, artful, slick mean attaining or seeking to attain one's ends by guileful or devious means. sly implies furtiveness, lack of candor, and skill in concealing one's aims and methods. a sly corporate raider cunning suggests the inventive use of sometimes limited intelligence in overreaching or circumventing. the cunning fox avoided the trap crafty implies cleverness and subtlety of method. a crafty lefthander wily implies skill and deception in maneuvering. the wily fugitive escaped the posse tricky is more likely to suggest shiftiness and unreliability than skill in deception and maneuvering. a tricky political operative foxy implies a shrewd and wary craftiness usually involving devious dealing. a foxy publicity man planting stories artful implies indirectness in dealing and often connotes sophistication or cleverness. elicited the information by artful questioning slick emphasizes smoothness and guile. slick operators selling time-sharing

Noun

art, skill, cunning, artifice, craft mean the faculty of executing well what one has devised. art implies a personal, unanalyzable creative power. the art of choosing the right word skill stresses technical knowledge and proficiency. the skill of a glassblower cunning suggests ingenuity and subtlety in devising, inventing, or executing. a mystery plotted with great cunning artifice suggests technical skill especially in imitating things in nature. believed realism in film could be achieved only by artifice craft may imply expertness in workmanship. the craft of a master goldsmith

Examples of cunning in a Sentence

Adjective … this cat has made his way into the Fitness Center for cunning reasons of his own and reveals himself only to certain privileged individuals. — Joyce Carol Oates, Harper's, June 2008 Throughout his time hunting the vampire, Manolito had been wounded and poisoned on many occasions, but still he'd survived because he'd always used his brain. He was cunning and shrewd and very intelligent. — Christine Feehan, Dark Possession, 2007 I have recounted the advice I received from an old-timer about how to keep raccoons out of garbage cans—advice that eventually included the purchase of a combination lock. ("A raccoon's cunning, but he's got no head for figures.") — Calvin Trillin, New Yorker, 11 Oct. 1993 A cunning politician is often found skulking under the clerical robe, with an outside all religion, and an inside all political rancour. — Washington Irving, A History of New York, 1809, in History, Tales and Sketches, (1977) 1983 So the Leader went into his den and looked at his children—two very cunning little cubs, lying on the floor. — Hugh Lofting, The Story of Doctor Dolittle, 1920 She was cunning enough to fool me. a cunning, underhanded plan to win the election by preying on people's fears and prejudices Noun The writing is best in the play's later scenes, when More deploys his legal cunning to help him weasel out of a political trap set by the oleaginous Thomas Cromwell … — John Lahr, New Yorker, 20 Oct. 2008 Tsvetaeva was lacking, moreover, in any instinct for cunning or self-preservation, or even for what might be called mere getting along … — Claudia Roth Pierpont, New Yorker, 7 Feb. 1994 He could see no change, save that in the eyes there was a look of cunning and in the mouth the curved wrinkle of the hypocrite. — Oscar Wilde, The Picture of Dorian Gray, 1891 He may be a fraud, but you have to admire his cunning. the cunning with which Tom Sawyer was able to get others to whitewash the fence for him

Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective Four months since that game-changing strike, Iran's proxy network continues to operate, but without the charismatic and cunning terrorist who coordinated their efforts. — Fox News, "The aftermath of Qassem Soleimani's death and his daughter's rise to prominence," 29 May 2020 True to archetype, wide-eyed Paloma turns out to be more cunning than Selah anticipates, and Selah must scramble to hold onto her place in the chain of command. — Teo Bugbee, New York Times, "‘Selah and the Spades’ Review: This Isn’t Your Average Teen Drama," 16 Apr. 2020 Quinn and Patricia haven’t shown the same cunning eye in Detroit. — Shawn Windsor, Detroit Free Press, "Detroit Lions had a choice with Darius Slay. They chose their culture instead," 20 Mar. 2020 The Japanese giant believes AI will create smarter cameras, more cunning videogame characters, and even the first helpful kitchen robots. — Will Knight, Wired, "Sony Envisions an AI-Fueled World, From Kitchen Bots to Games," 13 Feb. 2020 Peter’s ability to juggle the needs of the show and his desire to be perceived as a classic Good Guy only make this situation more cunning. — Ariana Romero, refinery29.com, "Peter Weber Played His Worst Mind Game Yet On The Bachelor," 11 Feb. 2020 His techniques have changed as his adversaries have become more cunning. — Adam Satariano, New York Times, "He Combs the Web for Russian Bots. That Makes Him a Target.," 9 Feb. 2020 Surely, the author won’t deny the reader a portrait of the parents who would name their child this combination of a rare flower and a cunning woodland creature. — Jim Higdon, The Courier-Journal, "This former CIA agent is sharing her 'Life Undercover' at an exclusive Louisville event," 2 Mar. 2020 Not even Rupp’s ludicrously bulky Alphafly running shoes—which were well-represented in the Trials thanks to a cunning move by Nike to offer them, for free, to all competitors in the race—could detract from the aesthetic grace of his paragon stride. — Martin Fritz Huber, Outside Online, "The Many Surprises of the Olympic Marathon Trials," 2 Mar. 2020 Recent Examples on the Web: Noun Through nerve, cunning, a skillet filled with boiling oil and the gruesome misuse of an underling — deployed as a bullet-proof vest — Lalo survived an armed home invasion against very steep odds. — David Segal, New York Times, "‘Better Call Saul’ Season 5 Finale Recap: Close Calls," 20 Apr. 2020 Yet there is no cunning or malice to Miranda’s approach to The Circle. — Ariana Romero, refinery29.com, "Will Miranda Win The Circle With This Very Bachelorette Strategy?," 3 Jan. 2020 As Georges’s compulsion to film his exploits grows, so does his cunning, the camera an excuse to fully indulge his psychosis. — Jeannette Catsoulis, New York Times, "‘Deerskin’ Review: Swayed by Suede," 30 Apr. 2020 Written by Julia Donaldson and illustrated by Axel Scheffler, the beloved 1999 book focuses on a mouse who uses his cunning to avoid being eaten. — Rachel Yang, EW.com, "Feeling stressed? Let Michelle Obama read you the children's book The Gruffalo," 20 Apr. 2020 The evil, mocking cunning of this virus is to have rendered all those temples of delight and enlightenment potential death traps. — Anastasia Edel, The New York Review of Books, "Pandemic Journal, March 17–22," 22 Mar. 2020 The work environment that Claiborne would inhabit for the next three years included frequent security briefings and warnings about the cunning of China’s intelligence services. — The Economist, "The friendly Mr Wu," 1 May 2020 What might be one of the most interesting facts about this already dazzling example of nature’s cunning, is the fact that this particular orchid variety doesn’t require all the trickery after all. — Patricia Shannon, Southern Living, "This Pretty Orchid Looks Just Like a Bumble Bee (And It Helps Attract Them, Too!)," 30 Apr. 2020 After just two episodes, Nick has established himself as the coach to watch this season by playing the game with just the right mix of cunning and sincerity. — Sabienna Bowman, refinery29.com, "Nick Jonas Is Really Funny On The Voice — And That’s Exactly Why He’s Going To Win," 2 Mar. 2020

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'cunning.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.