Foxiness — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

adjective noun /ˈfäk-sē/

Meaning & Definition of Foxiness

Foxiness (adjective)

  1. resembling or suggestive of a fox
  2. cunningly shrewd
  3. of a warm reddish-brown color

Foxiness (noun) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. 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"

    similar: artfulness, artifice, caginess, canniness, craft, craftiness, cunning, cunningness, deviousness, 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. 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"

    similar: artifice, cheating, cozenage, craft, craftiness, crookedness, crookery, cunning, cunningness, deceit, deceitfulness, deception, deceptiveness, dishonesty, dissembling, dissimulation, double-dealing, dupery, duplicity, fakery, 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

  3. exceptional discernment and judgment especially in practical matters

    "lacks the foxiness needed to make it in dog-eat-dog world of show business"

    similar: acumen, astuteness, caginess, canniness, clear-sightedness, hardheadedness, intelligence, keenness, knowingness, sharpness, shrewdness, wit
    related: discernment, insight, perception, perceptiveness, perceptivity, percipience, sagaciousness, sagacity, sageness, sapience, wisdom, artfulness, artifice, craft, craftiness, cunning, deviousness, guile, slickness, slyness, sneakiness, subtleness, subtlety, wiliness, brain(s), gray matter, intellect, reason, sense
    near: artlessness, greenness, guilelessness, ingenuousness, innocence, naiveness, naïveté, simplemindedness, simpleness, simplicity, unsophistication, unworldliness, brainlessness, density, doltishness, dopiness, dumbness, fatuity, foolishness, half-wittedness, mindlessness, oafishness, obtuseness, senselessness, slowness, stupidity, stupidness, vacuity, witlessness

Related Entry: Foxy (adjective)

Foxy is a different word from Foxiness. The synonyms below are for foxy, not for foxiness.

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

    "the oft-told story of the foxy flatterer who works her way up the ladder of success by stepping on people as she goes"

    similar: artful, beguiling, cagey, crafty, cunning, cute, designing, devious, dodgy (chiefly British), 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

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Foxiness

The most common words with a similar meaning to Foxiness:

artfulness, artifice, caginess, canniness, craft, craftiness, cunning, cunningness, deviousness, guile, guilefulness, slickness, slyness, sneakiness, subtleness, subtlety, wiliness, cheating, cozenage, crookedness, crookery, deceit, deceitfulness, deception, deceptiveness, dishonesty, dissembling, dissimulation, double-dealing, dupery, duplicity, fakery, fraud, acumen, astuteness, clear-sightedness, hardheadedness, intelligence, keenness, knowingness

Antonyms & Opposite Words for Foxiness

Words with the opposite meaning of Foxiness:

artlessness, forthrightness, good faith, guilelessness, ingenuousness, sincerity

Related Words for Foxiness

calculation, care, design, savvy, cleverness, ingeniousness, ingenuity, inventiveness, ease, facility, finesse, shiftiness, underhandedness, equivocation, lying, mendacity, prevarication, chicane, chicanery, fraudulence, hanky-panky, jugglery, legerdemain, mountebankery, obliquity, skulduggery, subterfuge, swindling, trickery, wile

Near Antonyms of Foxiness

candidness, candor, directness, frankness, openness, plainness, plainspokenness, honesty, probity, dependability, reliability, reliableness, solidity, trustability, trustiness, trustworthiness, decency, goodness, incorruptibility, integrity, righteousness, truthfulness, uprightness, virtuousness, greenness, innocence, naiveness, naïveté, simplemindedness, simpleness

Word Forms of Foxiness

Inflections: foxier, foxiest

Derived words: foxily (adverb), foxiness (noun)

Origin & Etymology of Foxiness

First known use: 1528

Frequently Asked Questions about Foxiness

What does "Foxiness" mean?

"Foxiness" means resembling or suggestive of a fox. As an an adjective and a noun, it is defined as: resembling or suggestive of a fox. It has 3 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Foxiness"?

Other words for "Foxiness" include artfulness, artifice, caginess, canniness, craft, craftiness, cunning and cunningness. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Foxiness" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Foxiness"?

There are 107 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Foxiness". Common alternatives include artfulness, artifice, caginess, canniness, craft, craftiness, cunning, cunningness, deviousness and guile.

What is the opposite of "Foxiness"?

Antonyms of "Foxiness" include artlessness, forthrightness, good faith, guilelessness, ingenuousness and sincerity. Near antonyms include candidness, candor, directness and frankness.

How do you use "Foxiness" in a sentence?

Examples of "Foxiness" in a sentence: "it did not take an incredible amount of foxiness on his part to get you to spill the beans"; "an imposter of such formidable foxiness that a movie was made of his entertaining escapades"; "lacks the foxiness needed to make it in dog-eat-dog world of show business".

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

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

How do you pronounce "Foxiness"?

"Foxiness" is pronounced /ˈfäk-sē/.

What is the origin of the word "Foxiness"?

First known use: 1528.