Cunning — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

adjective noun /ˈkə-niŋ/ cun·ning

Meaning & Definition of Cunning

Cunning (adjective)

  1. dexterous or crafty in the use of special resources (such as skill or knowledge) or in attaining an end
  2. characterized by wiliness and trickery
  3. displaying keen insight

Cunning (noun)

  1. dexterous skill and subtlety (as in inventing, devising, or executing)
  2. ability to mislead, trap, or escape an enemy or opponent, craft, slyness
  3. knowledge, learning

Cunning (adjective) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. clever at attaining one's ends by indirect and often deceptive means

    "a cunning, underhanded plan to win the election by preying on people's fears and prejudices"

    similar: artful, beguiling, cagey, crafty, cute, designing, devious, dodgy (chiefly British), foxy, guileful, scheming, shrewd, slick, sly, subtle, tricky, wily
    related: astute, facile, glib, sharp, crooked, deceitful, deceptive, dishonest, fraudulent, insinuating, knavish, Machiavellian, oblique, serpentine, shady, shifty, slippery, sneaky, treacherous, underhand, underhanded, unscrupulous, backhanded, double-dealing, hypocritical, insincere, left-handed, mealy, mealymouthed, smooth-tongued, two-faced, circuitous, circular, roundabout, clandestine, concealed, covert, furtive, hugger-mugger, secret, stealthy, surreptitious, undercover, calculating, plotting
    opposite: artless, guileless, ingenuous, innocent, undesigning
    near: obvious, open, patent, plain, public, unconcealed, aboveboard, candid, direct, forthright, frank, honest, natural, outspoken, plainspoken, real, simple, sincere, straightforward, unaffected, unpretending, unpretentious, unvarnished, childlike, impressionable, simpleminded, unsophisticated, unworldly, unforced, unstudied, trustful, trusting

  2. skillful with the hands

    "only the most cunning cabinetmaker could have crafted such a beautifully proportioned chest of drawers"

    similar: clever, deft, dexterous, handy
    related: agile, flexible, graceful, limber, lissome, lithe, lithesome, nimble, spry, coordinated, able, adept, capable, competent, expert, habile, masterful, masterly, proficient, qualified, skilled, skillful, sure-handed, double-jointed, loose-jointed
    opposite: butterfingered, ham-fisted, ham-handed, handless, heavy-handed, unhandy
    near: awkward, bungling, clumsy, fumbling, gauche, gawky, graceless, klutzy, rough-hewn, stiff, stilted, uncomfortable, uneasy, ungainly, ungraceful, wooden, uncoordinated, incapable, incompetent, inept, inexpert, maladroit

Cunning (noun) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. skill in achieving one's ends through indirect, subtle, or underhanded means

    "the cunning with which Tom Sawyer was able to get others to whitewash the fence for him"

    similar: artfulness, artifice, caginess, canniness, craft, craftiness, cunningness, deviousness, foxiness, guile, guilefulness, slickness, slyness, sneakiness, subtleness, subtlety, wiliness
    related: calculation, care, design, savvy, sharpness, shrewdness, cleverness, ingeniousness, ingenuity, inventiveness, ease, facility, finesse, deceitfulness, duplicity, shiftiness, underhandedness

  2. subtle or imaginative ability in inventing, devising, or executing something

    "the unmatched cunning of the scout who led them safely through the trackless wilderness"

    similar: adeptness, adroitness, art, artfulness, artifice, artistry, cleverness, craft, deftness, masterfulness, skill, skillfulness
    related: dexterity, ease, finesse, handiness, experience, expertise, expertness, know-how, proficiency, creativity, ingenuity, inventiveness, knowledge, learning, aptitude, bent, flair, gift, knack, talent
    opposite: artlessness, ineptitude, ineptness, maladroitness
    near: amateurishness, awkwardness, clumsiness, crudeness, klutziness, rudeness, inability, inadequacy, inadequateness, incapability, incapacity, incompetence, ineffectiveness, ineffectuality, ineffectualness, inefficacy, inefficiency

  3. the inclination or practice of misleading others through lies or trickery

    "used cunning and subterfuge to lure unwitting victims into the fraudulent scheme"

    similar: artifice, cheating, cozenage, craft, craftiness, crookedness, crookery, cunningness, deceit, deceitfulness, deception, deceptiveness, dishonesty, dissembling, dissimulation, double-dealing, dupery, duplicity, fakery, foxiness, fraud, guile, guilefulness, wiliness
    related: equivocation, lying, mendacity, prevarication, chicane, chicanery, fraudulence, hanky-panky, jugglery, legerdemain, mountebankery, obliquity, skulduggery, subterfuge, swindling, trickery, wile, falsehood, falsity, fib, untruth, hypocrisy, insincerity, sanctimoniousness, two-facedness, artfulness, caginess, deviousness, shrewdness, treacherousness, underhandedness, unscrupulousness, covertness, furtiveness, secrecy, shadiness, sneakiness, stealthiness, oiliness, shiftiness, slickness, slipperiness, slyness, smoothness
    opposite: artlessness, forthrightness, good faith, guilelessness, ingenuousness, sincerity
    near: candidness, candor, directness, frankness, openness, plainness, plainspokenness, honesty, probity, dependability, reliability, reliableness, solidity, trustability, trustiness, trustworthiness, decency, goodness, incorruptibility, integrity, righteousness, truthfulness, uprightness, virtuousness

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Cunning

The most common words with a similar meaning to Cunning:

Chiefly British: dodgy
artful, beguiling, cagey, crafty, cute, designing, devious, foxy, guileful, scheming, shrewd, slick, sly, subtle, tricky, wily, clever, deft, dexterous, handy, artfulness, artifice, caginess, canniness, craft, craftiness, cunningness, deviousness, foxiness, guile, guilefulness, slickness, slyness, sneakiness, subtleness, subtlety, wiliness, adeptness, adroitness, art

Antonyms & Opposite Words for Cunning

Words with the opposite meaning of Cunning:

artless, guileless, ingenuous, innocent, undesigning, butterfingered, ham-fisted, ham-handed, handless, heavy-handed, unhandy, artlessness, ineptitude, ineptness, maladroitness, forthrightness, good faith, guilelessness, ingenuousness, sincerity

Related Words for Cunning

astute, facile, glib, sharp, crooked, deceitful, deceptive, dishonest, fraudulent, insinuating, knavish, Machiavellian, oblique, serpentine, shady, shifty, slippery, sneaky, treacherous, underhand, underhanded, unscrupulous, backhanded, hypocritical, insincere, left-handed, mealy, mealymouthed, smooth-tongued, two-faced

Near Antonyms of Cunning

obvious, open, patent, plain, public, unconcealed, aboveboard, candid, direct, forthright, frank, honest, natural, outspoken, plainspoken, real, simple, sincere, straightforward, unaffected, unpretending, unpretentious, unvarnished, childlike, impressionable, simpleminded, unsophisticated, unworldly, unforced, unstudied

Word Forms of Cunning

Derived words: cunningly (adverb), cunningness (noun)

Origin & Etymology of Cunning

Middle English, from present participle of can know

First known use: 14th century

Words & Phrases Containing Cunning

low cunning

Frequently Asked Questions about Cunning

What does "Cunning" mean?

"Cunning" means dexterous or crafty in the use of special resources (such as skill or knowledge) or in attaining an end. As an an adjective and a noun, it is defined as: dexterous or crafty in the use of special resources (such as skill or knowledge) or in attaining an end. It has 5 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Cunning"?

Other words for "Cunning" include artful, beguiling, cagey, crafty, cute, designing, devious and dodgy. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Cunning" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Cunning"?

There are 197 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Cunning". Common alternatives include artful, beguiling, cagey, crafty, cute, designing, devious, dodgy, foxy and guileful.

What is the opposite of "Cunning"?

Antonyms of "Cunning" include artless, guileless, ingenuous, innocent, undesigning, butterfingered, ham-fisted and ham-handed. Near antonyms include obvious, open, patent and plain.

How do you use "Cunning" in a sentence?

Examples of "Cunning" in a sentence: "a cunning, underhanded plan to win the election by preying on people's fears and prejudices"; "only the most cunning cabinetmaker could have crafted such a beautifully proportioned chest of drawers"; "the cunning with which Tom Sawyer was able to get others to whitewash the fence for him".

Is "Cunning" a noun, verb, or adjective?

"Cunning" can be used as an adjective and a noun, depending on the context.

How do you pronounce "Cunning"?

"Cunning" is pronounced /ˈkə-niŋ/ and divided into syllables as cun·ning.

What is the origin of the word "Cunning"?

"Cunning" comes from Middle English, from present participle of can know. First known use: 14th century.