canniness

1 exceptional discernment and judgment especially in practical matters negotiates business deals with all of the proverbial canniness of an old-time horse trader Synonyms astuteness, caginess (also cageyness), acumen, clear-sightedness, foxiness, hardheadedness, intelligence, keenness, knowingness, sharpness, shrewdness, witRelated Words discernment, insight, perception, perceptiveness, perceptivity, percipience, sagaciousness, sagacity, sageness, sapience, wisdom; artfulness, artifice, craft, craftiness, cunning, deviousness, guile, slickness, slyness, sneakiness, subtleness, subtlety, wiliness; brain(s), gray matter, intellect, reason, senseNear Antonyms artlessness, greenness, guilelessness, ingenuousness, innocence, naiveness, naïveté (also naivete or naiveté), simplemindedness, simpleness, simplicity, unsophistication, unworldliness; brainlessness, density, doltishness, dopiness, dumbness, fatuity, foolishness, half-wittedness, mindlessness, oafishness, obtuseness, senselessness, slowness, stupidity, stupidness, vacuity, witlessness

2 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 artfulness, artifice, caginess (also cageyness), cunning, craft, craftiness, cunningness, deviousness, foxiness, guile, guilefulness, slickness, slyness, sneakiness, subtleness, subtlety, wilinessRelated Words calculation, care, design; savvy, sharpness, shrewdness; cleverness, ingeniousness, ingenuity, inventiveness; ease, facility, finesse; deceitfulness, duplicity, shiftiness, underhandedness