1
: dexterous or crafty in the use of special resources (such as skill or knowledge) or in attaining an end
a cunning plotter
2
: characterized by wiliness and trickery
cunning schemes
3
: prettily appealing : cute
a cunning little kitten
4
: displaying keen insight
a cunning observation
cunningness
noun
Synonyms
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
See More
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
See More
Recent Examples on the WebNatalie Angier, New York Times, 12 Nov. 2023
The cautionary tale of Prometheus Prometheus, a clever and cunning immortal figure from Greek myth, was known for stealing fire from the gods and gifting it to humans.
—Paige Hagy, Fortune, 16 Oct. 2023
Drafters this season were patient, cunning, and frugal.
—Joe Reid, Vulture, 11 Oct. 2023
San Franciscans fed up with self-driving taxis taking over their city have found a cunning way to stop the vehicles in their tracks.
—Chloe Taylor, Fortune, 10 July 2023
Del Toro plays all of this with a seesaw cunning that keeps the audience agreeably off balance.
—Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 26 Sep. 2023
Their Imelda is a victim of poverty and mistreatment, dim despite her cunning and innocent by reason of inanity.
—Jesse Green, New York Times, 21 July 2023
And so Reid, cunning and ruthless in equal measure, leveraged his enormous clout and fundraising muscle to turn Nevada’s creaky state party into a campaign juggernaut, Mark Barabak writes in the latest story in his series about Democratic success in the West.
—David Lauter, Los Angeles Times, 15 Sep. 2023
Starring Matt Bomer and Tim DeKay, the series follows a cunning con artist (Bomer) who teams up with an FBI agent (DeKay) to catch criminals in exchange for a shorter sentence.
—Kelsie Gibson, Peoplemag, 13 Sep. 2023
Keith Langston, Peoplemag, 2 Nov. 2023
Such is the tactic by which Brooks and the other sovereigns of self-help, with considerable skill and a pinch of cunning, advance their cause.
—Anthony Lane, The New Yorker, 16 Oct. 2023
But his emotions were leavened with zealous cunning.
—Sam Kiley, CNN, 14 Oct. 2023
Committing a hit may be mostly about counting down the minutes and hours, but Fincher builds the sequence with a veteran suspense filmmaker’s cunning.
—Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 3 Sep. 2023
Shiv’s real cunning is at play at the memorial service when her smooth demeanor wins her crucial uninterrupted minutes with the presidential hopeful Mencken.
—Shelly Tan, Washington Post, 26 May 2023
Admirers of autocracy around the world would have lauded Putin’s ruthlessness and cunning.
—Hal Brands, Foreign Affairs, 14 Feb. 2023
And the leprosy bacteria has benefitted from a truly masterful stroke of evolutionary cunning.
—Nathaniel Scharping, Discover Magazine, 12 Oct. 2018
But as Last Summer progresses, the tide gets reversed and Anne more clearly gains the upper hand, using her legal cunning to box Théo into a corner.
—Jordan Mintzer, The Hollywood Reporter, 27 May 2023
See More
Adjective
But because the time and place of an animal’s death are rarely predictable, the vulture’s reliance on carrion has forged, along with a flexible neck for poking into corpses and a featherless head for easy self-cleaning, a creative, cunning and wide-ranging mind.
—Natalie Angier, New York Times, 12 Nov. 2023
The cautionary tale of Prometheus Prometheus, a clever and cunning immortal figure from Greek myth, was known for stealing fire from the gods and gifting it to humans.
—Paige Hagy, Fortune, 16 Oct. 2023
Drafters this season were patient, cunning, and frugal.
—Joe Reid, Vulture, 11 Oct. 2023
San Franciscans fed up with self-driving taxis taking over their city have found a cunning way to stop the vehicles in their tracks.
—Chloe Taylor, Fortune, 10 July 2023
Del Toro plays all of this with a seesaw cunning that keeps the audience agreeably off balance.
—Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 26 Sep. 2023
Their Imelda is a victim of poverty and mistreatment, dim despite her cunning and innocent by reason of inanity.
—Jesse Green, New York Times, 21 July 2023
And so Reid, cunning and ruthless in equal measure, leveraged his enormous clout and fundraising muscle to turn Nevada’s creaky state party into a campaign juggernaut, Mark Barabak writes in the latest story in his series about Democratic success in the West.
—David Lauter, Los Angeles Times, 15 Sep. 2023
Starring Matt Bomer and Tim DeKay, the series follows a cunning con artist (Bomer) who teams up with an FBI agent (DeKay) to catch criminals in exchange for a shorter sentence.
—Kelsie Gibson, Peoplemag, 13 Sep. 2023
Noun
In both shows, Perry played Mike Kresteva, the cunning, conniving and lying politician and lawyer who would do anything to succeed.
—Keith Langston, Peoplemag, 2 Nov. 2023
Such is the tactic by which Brooks and the other sovereigns of self-help, with considerable skill and a pinch of cunning, advance their cause.
—Anthony Lane, The New Yorker, 16 Oct. 2023
But his emotions were leavened with zealous cunning.
—Sam Kiley, CNN, 14 Oct. 2023
Committing a hit may be mostly about counting down the minutes and hours, but Fincher builds the sequence with a veteran suspense filmmaker’s cunning.
—Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 3 Sep. 2023
Shiv’s real cunning is at play at the memorial service when her smooth demeanor wins her crucial uninterrupted minutes with the presidential hopeful Mencken.
—Shelly Tan, Washington Post, 26 May 2023
Admirers of autocracy around the world would have lauded Putin’s ruthlessness and cunning.
—Hal Brands, Foreign Affairs, 14 Feb. 2023
And the leprosy bacteria has benefitted from a truly masterful stroke of evolutionary cunning.
—Nathaniel Scharping, Discover Magazine, 12 Oct. 2018
But as Last Summer progresses, the tide gets reversed and Anne more clearly gains the upper hand, using her legal cunning to box Théo into a corner.
—Jordan Mintzer, The Hollywood Reporter, 27 May 2023
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'cunning.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Phrases Containing cunning
Articles Related to cunning
Dictionary Entries Near cunning
Cite this Entry
“Cunning.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cunning. Accessed 11 Dec. 2023.
Copy Citation
Kids Definition
cunning
1 of 2 adjective
cun·ning
ˈkən-iŋ 
1
: very good or very clever at using special knowledge or skills or at getting something done
a cunning detective
2
: showing keen understanding
a cunning observation
3
: marked by deception and trickery
4
cunningness
noun
cunning
2 of 2 noun1
2
: cleverness in getting what one wants often by tricks or deceiving
More from Merriam-Webster on cunning
Nglish: Translation of cunning for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of cunning for Arabic Speakers
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share