1
as in cunning
skill in achieving one's ends through indirect, subtle, or underhanded means
it did not take an incredible amount of foxiness on his part to get you to spill the beans
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in deceptiveness
the inclination or practice of misleading others through lies or trickery
an imposter of such formidable foxiness that a movie was made of his entertaining escapades
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in intelligence
exceptional discernment and judgment especially in practical matters
lacks the foxiness needed to make it in dog-eat-dog world of show business
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for foxiness
Noun
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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
-
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
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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
-
In theory, that’s what Slot wants his side to do, but in practice this season, due to personnel, fitness and at times structure, the Liverpool high press has lacked the intensity, aggression and intelligence of previous years.—
Andy Jones,
New York Times,
7 Apr. 2026
-
By Saturday, the Pentagon had surged more than 150 aircraft to join the effort to rescue the weapons system officer, Dude 44B, including 64 fighter jets, four bombers, 48 refuelers, 13 rescue planes and 26 intelligence and jamming aircraft, sources told CBS News.—
Lucia I Suarez Sang,
CBS News,
7 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
There’s nothing fancy about a big, square screen that sits upstage of the circular playing area, but the subtlety in which the images and mood flows through the screen greatly enhance the storytelling.—
David John Chávez,
Mercury News,
10 Apr. 2026
-
These are thematically on-the-nose gestures, but Kawamura, unlike the game’s creators, doesn’t place a premium on subtlety—or, for that matter, interactivity.—
Justin Chang,
New Yorker,
10 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
At the same time, the CIA mounted a deception operation to mislead Iranians who also were trying to find him.—
Jonathan J. Cooper,
Los Angeles Times,
7 Apr. 2026
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As an investigation unfolds, one small lie grows into a web of deception that begins to affect her work, her family, and her sense of self.—
Georg Szalai,
HollywoodReporter,
7 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Feelings of romance and wit and subversiveness are as important to her as the political background of her story.—
Theater Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
8 Apr. 2026
-
It’s been a quarter century since the mostly Canadian supergroup New Pornographers sprang from the florid imagination of Carl Newman, a pop savant with an angel’s voice and switchblade wit.—
Elizabeth Nelson,
Pitchfork,
8 Apr. 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
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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
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Consider this evilmeister’s brazen acts of treason and revenge, unbounded deceit, swinish immorality and negative role modeling.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
5 Apr. 2026
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Taking someone’s money by deceit is generally not allowed, and the misrepresentations contained in the contract could serve as proof of the alleged fraud.—
Robert L. Boone,
Sportico.com,
31 Mar. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Foxiness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/foxiness. Accessed 12 Apr. 2026.
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