1
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
2
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
-
Maybe the mere fact of having been born illustrious, with no apparent faults, with nothing to prove or to be ashamed of, had liberated John from the resentments the rest of us feel, and from the cunning and ambition such resentments fuel.—
Jeffrey Eugenides,
New Yorker,
4 Apr. 2026 -
The Brazil international combines technical craft with a decisive cunning.—
Carl Anka,
New York Times,
21 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Widespread deception was rampant, with businesses spending far more on green marketing than on actual sustainability improvements.—
Suvrat Dhanorkar,
The Conversation,
18 May 2026
-
That, along with the angle of his arm—his arm slot, in baseball terms—adds another layer of deception.—
Louisa Thomas,
New Yorker,
17 May 2026
Noun
-
Mike Bowman, designer, furniture industry expert, and director of marketing for Harmonia Living, says this trend relies on furnishings to bring artfulness to a space—rather than just functionality.—
Patricia Shannon,
Better Homes & Gardens,
10 Jan. 2026
-
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
-
Unlike the recent Margo’s Got Money Troubles, a series intent on adding human texture to all our preconceptions about online adult performers, Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed seems more interested in the dramatic potential of intimate deceit.—
Sophie Gilbert,
The Atlantic,
20 May 2026
-
But those movies, in different ways, were about trickery and deceit, about drawing the audience into a head game of perception.—
Owen Gleiberman,
Variety,
14 May 2026
Noun
-
The high stakes and the frenzied crowds annually inspire hockey players who can handle them to ever-higher levels of grit, guile and greatness.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
7 May 2026
-
The label cut its teeth with 12 inches and compilations but The Black Dog produced [one] album of breath-taking technical guile.—
Liza Lentini,
SPIN,
1 May 2026
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
Noun
-
Besides a full lineup of music, dance and other entertainment, the event will feature live cooking demos on the Chef Stage, a children’s fun zone and 200 arts, crafts and product booths.—
Linda Zavoral,
Mercury News,
23 May 2026
-
There’s also an oceanfront zero-entry heated pool that’s open from mid-April to mid-October along with seasonal kids’ programming that offers hands-on activities, craft sessions, and dive-in movies at the pool.—
Beth Luberecki,
USA Today,
23 May 2026
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
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.
Cite this Entry
“Craftiness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/craftiness. Accessed 24 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
