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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The festival also falls during the seventh anniversary of the assassination of Washington Post columnist and Saudi dissident Jamal Khashoggi, which a US intelligence report says happened at the behest of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.—
Liam Reilly,
CNN Money,
2 Oct. 2025 -
The office of the director of national intelligence is expected to make an announcement on the Havana Syndrome investigation soon, two sources told the Herald.—
Nora Gamez Torres,
Miami Herald,
2 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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Despite being outnumbered 50-to-1 by the Five Families of the Italian mafia, The Westies’ legendary brutality and cunning have given them the leverage necessary to share the spoils through a fragile détente.—
Denise Petski,
Deadline,
9 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Admirers, artists and politicians flocked to the shop, drawn by her beauty, wit and easy charm, according to Smithsonian Magazine.—
Christina Coulter,
PEOPLE,
4 Oct. 2025
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Over nearly three decades, Baumbach has built a career chronicling families in crisis and artists at the crossroads, his films combining biting wit with an unflinching emotional honesty.—
Scott Roxborough,
HollywoodReporter,
3 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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Saudis studying abroad lose the subtleties of the language and miss out on the culture, memes, and everything else that defines this generation.—
Manal Albarakati,
semafor.com,
26 Sep. 2025
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There was little subtlety in his threats.—
Joshua Yaffa,
New Yorker,
26 Sep. 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 5 Oct. 2025.
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