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noun

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Synonym Chooser

How is the word cunning distinct from other similar adjectives?

Some common synonyms of cunning are artful, crafty, foxy, slick, sly, tricky, and wily. While all these words mean "attaining or seeking to attain one's ends by guileful or devious means," cunning suggests the inventive use of sometimes limited intelligence in overreaching or circumventing.

the cunning fox avoided the trap

In what contexts can artful take the place of cunning?

While in some cases nearly identical to cunning, artful implies indirectness in dealing and often connotes sophistication or cleverness.

elicited the information by artful questioning

Where would crafty be a reasonable alternative to cunning?

The synonyms crafty and cunning are sometimes interchangeable, but crafty implies cleverness and subtlety of method.

a crafty lefthander

When is it sensible to use foxy instead of cunning?

The words foxy and cunning can be used in similar contexts, but foxy implies a shrewd and wary craftiness usually involving devious dealing.

a foxy publicity man planting stories

When could slick be used to replace cunning?

In some situations, the words slick and cunning are roughly equivalent. However, slick emphasizes smoothness and guile.

slick operators selling time-sharing

When would sly be a good substitute for cunning?

Although the words sly and cunning have much in common, sly implies furtiveness, lack of candor, and skill in concealing one's aims and methods.

a sly corporate raider

When might tricky be a better fit than cunning?

While the synonyms tricky and cunning are close in meaning, tricky is more likely to suggest shiftiness and unreliability than skill in deception and maneuvering.

a tricky political operative

When can wily be used instead of cunning?

The meanings of wily and cunning largely overlap; however, wily implies skill and deception in maneuvering.

the wily fugitive escaped the posse

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 cunning
Adjective
President Trump does not exhibit Bismarck’s cunning, inscrutability, or proclivity for complicated diplomacy. Charles C. W. Cooke, National Review, 24 June 2025 In the cutthroat world of corporate leadership, being strategically cunning may pay off—literally. Alice Gibbs, MSNBC Newsweek, 19 June 2025
Noun
Despite being outnumbered 50-to-1 by the Five Families of the Italian mafia, the Westies’ legendary brutality and cunning have given them the leverage necessary to share the spoils through a fragile détente. Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 18 Mar. 2025 Noted for his tenacity and cunning, Khamenei is also a man of conviction, and his hatred for the United States is deeply felt. Foreign Affairs, 25 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for cunning
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cunning
Adjective
  • Oh, and the best pairs of the bunch are also plain old comfy (and cute, in a gorpcore kind of way).
    Sara Coughlin, SELF, 7 July 2025
  • July 6, 2025: Rodman watching Shelton’s match at Wimbledon is so cute the ESPN announcer literally giggles trying to talk about them.
    Elizabeth Logan, Glamour, 7 July 2025
Adjective
  • While advanced data analytics can flag some of these anomalies, a skilled negotiator with full market visibility can go deeper.
    Eric Steele, Forbes.com, 9 July 2025
  • Despite being made by skilled artisans on the Sicilian coast and designed in Sydney, the U.S. market is already one of its main drivers, its founder and interior designer Isabella Wilde said.
    Sofia Celeste, Footwear News, 9 July 2025
Noun
  • But as the 17 minutes of stoppage time wound down, the crowd told a bigger story for a first-year club playing in a league that can’t match the comprehensive skill of the European and top South American leagues.
    Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 July 2025
  • These workshops taught cognitive skills aimed at maximizing the strengths and minimizing the weaknesses typically associated with their specific most strongly outlying trait.
    Maia Szalavitz, Scientific American, 7 July 2025
Noun
  • This deception couldn’t come at a worse time for America’s debt.
    Thomas Kahn, Chicago Tribune, 8 July 2025
  • Unlike earlier studies that uncovered evasion or deception, this research exposed a more alarming phenomenon: models calculating that unethical behavior was a justifiable strategy for survival.
    Hamilton Mann, Forbes.com, 29 June 2025
Adjective
  • In this edition, the grey tone reflects the muted, misty landscape of the British coast, with subtle variations achieved through multiple layers of transparent lacquer.
    Matthew Catellier, Forbes.com, 30 June 2025
  • The result was a robust workforce forecasting model, one that’s sophisticated enough to consider the subtle complexities of human behavior and help identify potential attrition risks.
    Nia Bowers, USA Today, 30 June 2025
Adjective
  • Finnegans Wake, in his skillful hands, is a tapestry of all the works Joyce ever wrote, the final and protracted project of a writer who could never stop thinking about Ireland.
    Eric Bulson, The Atlantic, 16 June 2025
  • Their smart, aggressive defense disorients even the smoothest spacing and the most skillful shooters.
    Steven Louis Goldstein, New York Times, 18 May 2025
Noun
  • Opening pages show Toews’ characteristic wit and guile squaring off against extraordinary pain.
    Literary Hub July 1, Literary Hub, 1 July 2025
  • Getting to the knockout phase will take guile as much as craft, something the Dutch boast in abundance.
    Megan Feringa, New York Times, 28 June 2025
Noun
  • When confronted, deceit turns their romantic evening into a darkly comedic nightmare.
    Matthew Carey, Deadline, 25 June 2025
  • The nation has now paid a steep price for its deceit and deception.
    Editorial, Boston Herald, 18 June 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Cunning.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cunning. Accessed 12 Jul. 2025.

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