as in artfully
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Recent Examples of cannily
Sections of the granite supports of the Keck statue are cannily manipulated and embellished with stars and swirling vortex-forms in Lithichrome paint into works of art themselves.
—
Horace D. Ballard, Artforum, 22 Apr. 2026
So begins a cycle of financial pressure, entrepreneurial hurdles, and major crimes committed out of desperation that cannily blurs the line between legitimate business strategy and the art of the con.
—Judy Berman, Time, 11 Mar. 2026
His presence is so recessive that the resulting footage, however cannily composed, looks, for the most part, like it was made by an unattended surveillance camera.
—Richard Brody, New Yorker, 19 Feb. 2026
The special’s opening half-hour is a series of meaningful opening salvos like this, cannily shoehorned into catch-up anecdotes, each of them laying the groundwork for where Nanjiani ultimately wants the hour to land without tipping his hand in one direction or another.
—Kathryn Vanarendonk, Vulture, 19 Dec. 2025
Although that self-realization is timeless, Roder cannily positions it to speak to contemporary times.
—Stephen Saito, Variety, 23 Nov. 2025
Rental Family cannily exploits its unusual premise to both comical and moving effect.
—Frank Scheck, HollywoodReporter, 3 Sep. 2019
Horace D. Ballard, Artforum, 22 Apr. 2026
So begins a cycle of financial pressure, entrepreneurial hurdles, and major crimes committed out of desperation that cannily blurs the line between legitimate business strategy and the art of the con.
—Judy Berman, Time, 11 Mar. 2026
His presence is so recessive that the resulting footage, however cannily composed, looks, for the most part, like it was made by an unattended surveillance camera.
—Richard Brody, New Yorker, 19 Feb. 2026
The special’s opening half-hour is a series of meaningful opening salvos like this, cannily shoehorned into catch-up anecdotes, each of them laying the groundwork for where Nanjiani ultimately wants the hour to land without tipping his hand in one direction or another.
—Kathryn Vanarendonk, Vulture, 19 Dec. 2025
Although that self-realization is timeless, Roder cannily positions it to speak to contemporary times.
—Stephen Saito, Variety, 23 Nov. 2025
Rental Family cannily exploits its unusual premise to both comical and moving effect.
—Frank Scheck, HollywoodReporter, 3 Sep. 2019
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cannily
Adverb
-
Expecting a romantic interlude, he is horrified to find Jenny’s lifeless body artfully arranged on the bed.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
7 June 2026
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Kids While the lobster is plentiful and the Champagne flows, the St Regis artfully avoids any pretension.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
1 June 2026
Adverb
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Hernandez pulled him over, but Maldonado falsely identified himself as a police officer, then pushed him and ran away.—
Shira Moolten,
Miami Herald,
13 June 2026
-
Jones falsely told the man, 31-year-old Tobasia Griffiths, that the woman consented to the attack, and paid Griffiths $100 to carry it out, according to a statement from the Tarrant County District Attorney’s Office.—
Lillie Davidson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
12 June 2026
Adverb
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Pascale accompanies her with deceptively simple down-bows and up-bows, bearing the technical difficulty lightly, as though that’s just the shape and movements her hands happen to take.—
Emma Madden,
Pitchfork,
11 June 2026
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What might look like a deceptively healthy lasagna is actually filled with tender noodles, marinara, ricotta, mozzarella, Parmesan, and fresh basil.—
Symiah Dorsey,
Southern Living,
10 June 2026
Adverb
-
In that lawsuit, State Farm said that the record only showed a disagreement over the cause of roof damage, and that there was no evidence the company had acted dishonestly.—
Michael Copley,
NPR,
28 Apr. 2026
-
Additional uses of geolocation data, the providers say, include proving a bettor is dishonestly disputing credit card charges, revealing sign-up bonus abuse or showing that someone is illegally making proxy wagers across state lines.—
Dan Bernstein,
Sportico.com,
16 Oct. 2025
Adverb
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Jacob goes to Isaac with this hairy disguise, deceitfully announces himself as Esau, and obtains his father’s blessing—much to the chagrin of his brother.—
Charles Preston,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
13 Mar. 2026
-
To help fill their coffers even more, the lobbyists deceitfully expanded the definition of those notch years to include everyone born through 1926.—
Tom Margenau,
Dallas Morning News,
1 Feb. 2026
Adverb
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Lactones are creamy, milky molecules that are naturally found in figs and can be artificially replicated to mimic the smell of sandalwood.—
Ariel Wodarcyk,
InStyle,
15 June 2026
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When supply is artificially constrained and demand is enormous, the supply moves into queues and resale platforms.—
Catherina Gioino,
Fortune,
12 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Cannily.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cannily. Accessed 17 Jun. 2026.
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