1
as in cunning
skill in achieving one's ends through indirect, subtle, or underhanded means
it took a certain amount of cunningness on the photographer's part to obtain such revealing portraits of his rich and famous subjects
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in deception
the inclination or practice of misleading others through lies or trickery
people should remember that it was cunningness and not kindness that made him a very wealthy lawyer
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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.
Recent Examples of cunningness
The costume thus becomes a family heirloom, one steeped in grace and cunningness.
—
Andrew McGowan, Variety, 12 Aug. 2025
Andrew McGowan, Variety, 12 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cunningness
Noun
-
The story follows Toto, an almost completely blind cat with incredible ninja skills, who must use her courage and cunning to stop a deadly King Cobra that has escaped onto the streets of London, alongside her cheeky brother Silver.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
21 Oct. 2025
-
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
Noun
-
Neither Eliot nor Jules suspected anything, and the ease of the deception added to its pleasing sordidness.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
21 Oct. 2025
-
On October 14, those flights revealed missile sites under construction, confirming that Soviet promises had been deliberate deception.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
20 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Over the course of eight episodes, the show traces how mounting pressures, deceit and betrayal led to Alex murdering Maggie and Paul in 2021.—
Samantha Stutsman,
PEOPLE,
18 Oct. 2025
-
The phone call ignited a shocking chain of events that ultimately uncovered Murdaugh’s long history of lies and deceit, culminating in him murdering his wife and son.—
Julia Bonavita,
FOXNews.com,
18 Oct. 2025
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
Noun
-
This 2023 docuseries centers on the Murdaughs, South Carolina's illustrious legal dynasty, whose members were tied to multiple homicides, financial fraud and other alleged crimes.—
James Mercadante,
PEOPLE,
25 Oct. 2025
-
According to the State Department, altered passports are among the most common types of passport fraud.—
Lauren Dana Ellman,
Travel + Leisure,
25 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
These defendants, which include former professional athletes, used high-tech cheating technology to steal millions of dollars from victims in underground poker games that were secretly fixed.—
Anna Lazarus Caplan,
PEOPLE,
23 Oct. 2025
-
Naroditsky, whose cause of death has not been made public, had vigorously denied cheating, and other chess champions agreed the claims were baseless.—
Julia Prodis Sulek,
Mercury News,
23 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Cunningness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cunningness. Accessed 28 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share