Synonyms of canny

canny

adjective

ˈka-nē 

1

as in smart

having or showing a practical cleverness or judgment

a canny card player, good at psyching out his opponents

Synonyms & Similar Words

• smart
• astute
• shrewd
• savvy
• wise
• clever
• sharp
• knowing
• intelligent
• veteran
• brilliant
• experienced
• hardheaded
• keen
• heady
• cunning
• quick
• clear-eyed
• wily
• slick
• sharp-witted
• clear-sighted
• bright
• subtle
• sly
• crafty
• sagacious
• hard-boiled
• perceptive
• artful
• cagey
• tricky
• perspicacious
• discerning
• devious
• insightful
• foxy
• guileful
• pawky
• resourceful
• percipient
• ingenious
• sage
• brainy
• nimble
• dodgy
• discriminating
• sapient
• apt
• discriminative
• agile
• calculating
• alert
• scheming
• quick-witted
• sharp-eyed
• sharp-sighted

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• naive
• ingenuous
• guileless
• unknowing
• artless
• innocent
• gullible
• unwise
• exploitable
• dense
• unperceptive
• simple
• dumb
• slow
• obtuse
• stupid
• foolish
• dopey
• unintelligent
• brainless
• dull
• thoughtless
• silly
• idiotic
• brain-dead
• ignorant
• witless
• thickheaded
• weak-minded
• moronic
• feebleminded
• uninformed
• imbecile
• gormless
• slow-witted
• knuckleheaded
• softheaded
• dim-witted
• lunkheaded
• half-witted
• airheaded
• birdbrained
• thick-witted
• empty-headed
• lamebrain

2

as in comfortable

chiefly Scottish enjoying physical comfort

warm and canny under the woolen bedcovers, we didn't mind the chilly Scottish nights

Synonyms & Similar Words

• comfortable
• relaxed
• at ease
• snug
• comfy
• cozy
• warm
• pleased
• resting
• satisfied
• contented
• content
• easygoing
• at home
• unperturbed
• toasty
• easeful
• laid-back
• untroubled
• undisturbed
• peaceful

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• uncomfortable
• dissatisfied
• troubled
• disturbed
• displeased
• discontented
• agitated
• perturbed

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of canny

In an industry in which creative directors – even on Place Vendôme – are far less visible than their high fashion counterparts, renewal at the top of the design studio is a canny move. — Kate Matthams, Forbes.com, 10 June 2026

Layla and Shams have become canny in learning how to survive, but Shams wasn’t able to save their other brother Tareq or her husband, both of whom were killed. — Jay Weissberg, Variety, 17 May 2026

Deploying a top-notch slutty house-meets-electro record is one of the canniest moves he’s ever made. — Hattie Lindert, Pitchfork, 15 May 2026

Byron’s a canny, bold, and incisive critic. — Brittany Allen, Literary Hub, 27 Apr. 2026