CRAFTINESS Synonyms: 115 Similar and Opposite Words

craftiness

noun

Definition of craftiness

as in cunning

skill in achieving one's ends through indirect, subtle, or underhanded means other antique dealers envied her for her craftiness in getting people to sell their treasures for a song

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

as in deception

the inclination or practice of misleading others through lies or trickery according to the confidence man's credo of craftiness, "There's a sucker born every minute"

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for craftiness

Noun

Rhaenyra also dismisses Mysaria, a wise move carried out in a very unwise manner, given the woman’s cunning.

— Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2026
Nolan foregrounds the nobility that guides the character (his guilt, his dedication to his men, his yearning for his family) and neglects his wily cunning and egotism.

— Angelica Jade Bastién, Vulture, 27 July 2026

Definition of cunning

Noun

Most often, this would be a network of fake accounts discovered by social media companies as part of their efforts to eliminate bots, scams, and online deception on their platforms.

— RENÉE DIRESTA, Foreign Affairs, 5 Oct. 2026
In writing her for the series, Kazan realized Cathy, despite her deceptions, is almost always telling the truth.

— Lexy Perez, HollywoodReporter, 4 Oct. 2026

Definition of deception

Noun

The term seems to imply a mastery of all the resources of a form, displayed in a surprising context without self-conscious artfulness.

— Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 7 Sep. 2026
No need to get bogged down in questions about provenance, artfulness, long-form storytelling, or even metaphors.

— Robin Givhan, Vanity Fair, 19 Aug. 2026

Definition of artfulness

Noun

My view is that Newcastle required an out-and-out No 10 or a player with real guile who could partly compensate for the loss of Bruno Guimaraes, and arguably there is a lack of creativity and technical ingenuity in the final third.

— Chris Waugh, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2026
In some ways, that depends on whether the agent eventually learns guile, and social gamesmanship, or not.

— John Werner, Forbes.com, 21 July 2026

Definition of guile

Noun

Of course, the retort is that this would be irritating and exasperating to be continually deluged with alerts about AI deceptiveness.

— Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 24 Aug. 2025
Beyond the deceptiveness of the narrow material view, spiritual light and hope are always present to be found and felt.

— Sue Brightman, Christian Science Monitor, 3 Jan. 2025

Definition of deceptiveness

Noun

These releases were often filled with field recordings and improvisations, prioritizing the glimpse into the artist’s mind over the rigors of craft.

— Daniel Bromfield, Pitchfork, 7 Oct. 2026
On the craft side, the movie never feels too slick; there’s an agreeable looseness to its pacing, even at its zippiest, and a crisp unfussiness to Malik Hassan Sayeed’s cinematography.

— David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 6 Oct. 2026

Definition of craft

Noun

Antisocial personality includes a persistent pattern of traits such as callousness, lack of concern, deceitfulness, and irresponsibility, Ryan said.

— Harriet Ramos, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 29 Apr. 2026
Perfidy — from the French perfidie via the Latin perfidia — means deceitfulness, treachery or a breach of faith or promise.

— Harmeet Kaur, CNN Money, 21 Jan. 2026

Definition of deceitfulness

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Browse Nearby Words

craftily

craftiness

crafting

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Craftiness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/craftiness. Accessed 8 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of craftiness

noun

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

etiquette

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Popular in Wordplay

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Popular

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Games & Quizzes