pawky

adjective

Definition of pawkynext
chiefly British
as in cunning

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for pawky
  1. cunning
  2. sly
  3. wily
  4. subtle
  5. shrewd
  6. guileful
  7. astute
  8. artful
Adjective
  • Consider, for instance, the institution of oprichnina that Tsar Ivan IV established in 1565, through various cunning moves.
    — Foreign Affairs, Foreign Affairs, 18 Aug. 2026
  • With the correct number of dots, no arrangement, however cunning, can dodge these shapes forever.
    — Jack Murtagh, Scientific American, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of cunning
Adjective
  • This argument made by the unknown soldier—which included a sly criticism of the USSR—affected how the war-crazy Zinn was starting to reassess the entire operation.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 12 Aug. 2026
  • The men exude contentious authority in various ways, from the grandee’s circumspect command and Uncle Jeb’s sly omniscience to the mechanic’s viperish resentment and Billy’s acerbic flirtation.
    — Richard Brody, New Yorker, 11 Aug. 2026
Definition of sly
Adjective
  • Maye took the snap and gave it away again, set up by some wily safety play.
    — Andrew Callahan, Boston Herald, 6 Aug. 2026
  • A couple of hours later, Learner Tien lost to wily French veteran Adrian Mannarino.
    — Matthew Futterman, New York Times, 1 Aug. 2026
Definition of wily
Adjective
  • Her lyrics, like those of many of her biggest musical influences, are dense texts, full of winking allusions and subtle references to records, bands, and albums that have shaped her own songwriting.
    — Jonathan Bernstein, Rolling Stone, 14 Aug. 2026
  • Izquierdo recommends asking for softly disconnected layers, a blended curtain fringe, and soft, subtle texture.
    — Loren Savini, Allure, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of subtle
Adjective
  • There’s pathos, and shrewd irony, underpinning his performance.
    — Daniel D'Addario, Variety, 12 Aug. 2026
  • Through the process, the girls not only become shrewd salespeople but gain confidence and sometimes even stand up to better the rights of their troops.
    — Randy Myers, Mercury News, 5 Aug. 2026
Definition of shrewd
Adjective
  • Bruno Guimaraes and Lucas Paqueta played guileful defence-splitting passes.
    — James Horncastle, New York Times, 20 June 2026
  • One is to emphasize Iago—the guileful, insinuating convincingness of this malicious supervillain, who works on Othello to the point where any reasonable man would be deceived and fooled and worked into a rage that can lead to such a catastrophe.
    — David Frum, The Atlantic, 17 June 2026
Definition of guileful
Adjective
  • There is too much going on here for this novel to work, but Andersen is an uncommon writer, a skilled historical novelist as well as an astute cultural observer and historical interpreter.
    — John Warner, Chicago Tribune, 15 Aug. 2026
  • Brown is clearly an empath who can read people in an astute way.
    — Anne Thompson, IndieWire, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of astute
Adjective
  • But where the latter was built for unbridled performance, the the Destrier makes a number of trade-offs in favor of a more artful appearance from every angle.
    — Abhimanyu Ghoshal, New Atlas, 13 Aug. 2026
  • The spacious restaurant with high, coffered ceilings features a central bar where mixologists churn out artful cocktails.
    — Sean Timberlake, Sacbee.com, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of artful
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.

Browse Nearby Words

pawing
pawky
pawn
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Cite this Entry

“Pawky.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pawky. Accessed 19 Aug. 2026.

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