1
as in intelligence
exceptional discernment and judgment especially in practical matters
negotiates business deals with all of the proverbial canniness of an old-time horse trader
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in cunning
skill in achieving one's ends through indirect, subtle, or underhanded means
the canniness with which she negotiated her contract as spokesperson for the shoe manufacturer
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for canniness
Noun
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Liz Dennett Liz Dennett is a geoscientist, technologist, and the founder and CEO of Endolith, a biological intelligence company pioneering microbial solutions to recover copper from ores and waste rock.—
IEEE Spectrum,
IEEE Spectrum,
9 Oct. 2025 -
In addition, agents and intelligence professionals investigating violent crimes against children identified or located 1,053 child victims, the release says.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
9 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Federico Marchetti, the Italian fashion entrepreneur, is a master of sprezzatura—the courtier’s art of cloaking ambition and cunning in an air of guileless nonchalance.—
John Seabrook,
New Yorker,
29 Sep. 2025
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But Israeli cunning, buoyed by remarkable intelligence capabilities and precision targeting, has damaged the group.—
Sean Durns,
The Washington Examiner,
26 Sep. 2025
Noun
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And as the cast — including Ayo Edebiri and Andrew Garfield who play the accuser and the accused, respectively — engage in an unflinching battle of wits, navigating one knotty maneuver after another, what stands out is their clothes, which are as sharp as the dialogue.—
Kati Chitrakorn,
CNN Money,
10 Oct. 2025
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Though generous with his time and quick with his wit, Propes needs to decompress on his own after spending time with others.—
Heather Bushman,
IndyStar,
10 Oct. 2025
Noun
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There is a real seriousness to the score — the scheming bad-guy music has the artfulness of Prokofiev, and even the sneaking-around cues have musical integrity and structure.—
Tim Greiving,
Vulture,
3 Sep. 2025
Noun
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And Ten Hag’s training ground shrewdness was meant to correct that.—
Carl Anka,
New York Times,
5 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Interestingly enough, the luminous pearl glides freely through the rail, allowing for subtlety that moves with you.—
Stacia Datskovska,
Footwear News,
13 Oct. 2025
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The actress manages to pull this off with subtlety and grace in a movie that could have easily gone straight for the emotional jugular.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
10 Oct. 2025
Noun
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The guys up at Auburn rave about his intelligence, his football acumen and his work ethic.—
Creg Stephenson | cstephenson@al.com,
al,
20 Jan. 2023
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But Lord knows, there’s a mountain of acumen and perspicacity or, in plain terms, good horse sense stored in those minds and souls.—
Gordon Monson,
The Salt Lake Tribune,
8 Jan. 2023
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Cite this Entry
“Canniness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/canniness. Accessed 15 Oct. 2025.
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