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
  • That doesn't enable cunning and unprincipled men to subvert the power of the people.
    — Lori A Bashian , Larry Fink, FOXNews.com, 30 June 2026
  • For decades, humans mined antibiotic molecules from microbes and tweaked them to develop new drugs, staying ahead of evolution’s cunning countermeasures.
    — Beth Mole, ArsTechnica, 26 June 2026
Definition of cunning
Adjective
  • During the celebration, Haaland played it cool, looking into the crowd with a sly smile.
    — Tim Rohan, NBC news, 6 July 2026
  • Eleanor immediately asked Margaret with a sly look of provocation on her face.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 29 June 2026
Definition of sly
Adjective
  • The team would soon feature real stars, too, in the likes of KC native Belser and wily midfielder Graham Zusi.
    — Blair Kerkhoff, Kansas City Star, 3 July 2026
  • Uso was the wily veteran, a former world heavyweight champion, looking to get back into the title picture.
    — Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 20 June 2026
Definition of wily
Adjective
  • Messi’s longevity is a story of enduring brilliance but also subtle evolution.
    — Charlotte Harpur, New York Times, 10 July 2026
  • Buyers will be able to tailor the interior with exclusive leather, Alcantara, and a choice of Comfort or Racing seats, both featuring six vertical grooves as a subtle nod to the six-speed layout.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 10 July 2026
Definition of subtle
Adjective
  • Beckham, a shrewd businessman, no doubt commands hefty fees for each endorsement, stacking his personal coffers handsomely.
    — Shann Biglione, Forbes.com, 7 July 2026
  • America’s bounty of wilderness is mostly the result of shrewd policy decisions that preserved these lands for all of us to cherish today.
    — Nicholas D. Kristof, Mercury News, 3 July 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
  • However, his calm demeanor and astute in-game changes have helped the Selecao overcome deficits and build psychological resilience.
    — Chris Evans, Forbes.com, 5 July 2026
  • Her astute observations — and solid Disney fairy tale references — don't stop there.
    — Breanne L. Heldman, PEOPLE, 2 July 2026
Definition of astute
Adjective
  • His daughter, Jeanette Marini, 30, who is general manager of the chop house, lets her creativity flow in the catering by setting up artful buffet tables, as well as helping customers plan.
    — Pamela McLoughlin, Hartford Courant, 9 July 2026
  • But smart casting, witty writing, lively directing, and artful character development have also yielded the rare superhero riff that, as Kovak puts it, finds the human underneath.
    — Judy Berman, Time, 8 July 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 14 Jul. 2026.

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