Skilful, expert; characterized by or indicative of skill, ingenuity, or expertise; (in later use) characterized by craftsmanship, care, or attention…

Of an action, scheme, device, etc.: characterized or marked by cleverness, ingenuity, or cunning. Now rare and archaic.

Marked or characterized by skill or dexterity; showing skilfulness or ingenuity; cleverly or finely made. Obsolete.

Of a work of art, mechanical device, etc.: cleverly made or designed; ingenious. Cf. subtle, adj. 5. Obsolete.

Of a device, object, stratagem, etc.: skilfully made or designed; ingenious in conception or execution; cleverly contrived or performed. Obsolete.

transferred. Showing skill or expertness; skilfully contrived or executed; skilful, ingenious.

Cleverly or elegantly made or done; ingenious, artful, well-conceived.

Of things, actions, etc.: Showing cleverness of invention or construction; skilfully or curiously contrived or made.

Scottish. Ingenious; well adapted to the purpose. Obsolete. rare.

Skilfully devised or made; well-constructed.

Intelligent, ingenious, clever; characterized by ingenuity. Obsolete.

Skilfully fabricated or composed; (of a story) contrived so as to be appropriate or plausible even if untrue. Cf. ben trovato, adj.

Ingenious, clever. Obsolete. rare.

Cleverly contrived, cunningly executed.

Skilfully adapted for the accomplishment of a purpose; ingenious, clever. Hence: cunning, crafty, deceitful.

Characterized by art; skilful, ingenious.

Cleverly contrived; ingenious. Obsolete. rare.

Crafty, cunning. Cf. callent, adj.

Skilfully or craftily planned. Obsolete.

Highly ingenious or clever; neat, smart.

colloquial. Very clever or ingenious; (more generally) extremely good.

Esp. of a financial or other strategy: ingenious, esp. in a misleading way. Recorded earliest in creative accounting n. at compounds.