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
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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
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Recent Examples of Synonyms for cunningness
Noun
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Honest Abe is forced to scheme, relying on grit and cunning to win the votes to abolish slavery.
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Unable to outrun the Bitchfist, the Hand earns his reputation for cunning and courage.
Noun
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So, that's a kind of deception.
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The county argues the grand jury fundamentally misunderstood what happened before the explosion, saying its investigation relied on speculation instead of evidence and wrongly blamed county officials for a criminal enterprise prosecutors say was built on years of deception.
Noun
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The original trial was found to be invalid due to fraud and deceit.
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And with that comes deceit and manipulation.
Noun
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Of course, the retort is that this would be irritating and exasperating to be continually deluged with alerts about AI deceptiveness.
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Beyond the deceptiveness of the narrow material view, spiritual light and hope are always present to be found and felt.
Noun
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Antisocial personality includes a persistent pattern of traits such as callousness, lack of concern, deceitfulness, and irresponsibility, Ryan said.
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Perfidy — from the French perfidie via the Latin perfidia — means deceitfulness, treachery or a breach of faith or promise.
Noun
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David Vander Meer, 49, was being held at Clark County Detention Center on first-degree murder and insurance fraud charges stemming from the death of his wife, Bernadette, two decades ago.
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According to prosecutors, Eidleh deposited more than $5 million in fraud proceeds, kickbacks and bribes into accounts associated with shell companies in an effort to conceal the source of the money.
Noun
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Other research on high school cheating found in 2020 that 64% of 70,000 high school students across the country admitted to cheating on a test, and 58% admitted to plagiarism.
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Other research on high school cheating found in 2020 that 64% of 70,000 high school students across the country admitted to cheating on a test, and 58% admitted to plagiarism.
Cite this Entry
“Cunningness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cunningness. Accessed 30 Jun. 2026.
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