crafty
adjective
ˈkraf-tē 
craftier; craftiest
1
: skillful, clever
2
a
: adept in the use of subtlety and cunning
a crafty swindler
The crafty detective got the suspect to confess to the crime.
b
: marked by subtlety and guile
a crafty scheme
craftily
ˈkraf-tə-lē
adverb craftiness
ˈkraf-tē-nəs
noun 
Synonyms
- artful
- beguiling
- cagey
- cagy
- cunning
- cute
- designing
- devious
- dodgy [chiefly British]
- foxy
- guileful
- scheming
- shrewd
- slick
- sly
- subtle
- tricky
- wily
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
a crafty real estate broker who got people to sell their property at bargain prices
Recent Examples on the Web Get a wreath form at the craft store and some supplies or ask your guests to bring their own contributions for a crafty and pretty fall wreath. 
Lizz Schumer, Good Housekeeping, 10 Aug. 2022 How a crafty and courageous journalist smuggled the truth out of communist Yugoslavia. Wsj Books Staff, WSJ, 25 Mar. 2022 As a teenager, Ms. van Seenus was crafty and artistic, even sewing her own prom dress. New York Times, 9 Mar. 2022 Each country adds its own flair to the game — Italian and Spanish soccer are known for being skillful and fast-paced; Central American soccer is crafty and up-tempo; and German soccer is efficient and organized. Lauren Withrow, The Arizona Republic, 1 Mar. 2022 But Haniger’s crafty slide avoided the tag of Andres Gimenez, and only Trevor Stephan’s big effort allowed the Guards to wriggle out of a jam with Haniger at third representing the game-winning run. Joe Noga, cleveland, 27 Aug. 2022 Plus, its crafty blend of art and science makes learning even more fun. Karla Pope, Woman's Day, 25 Aug. 2022 Thanks to data from the Chandra X-ray Observatory and some crafty audio synthesis, scientists were able to create an audible version of the eerie drone manufactured by the black hole. Hunter Boyce, ajc, 22 Aug. 2022 As the war approaches the six month mark, Ukraine's supplies of many basic necessities are running low, leaving crafty Ukrainians to crowd source their way through a war that has no end in sight. Ed Flanagan, NBC News, 20 Aug. 2022 See More
Lizz Schumer, Good Housekeeping, 10 Aug. 2022 How a crafty and courageous journalist smuggled the truth out of communist Yugoslavia. Wsj Books Staff, WSJ, 25 Mar. 2022 As a teenager, Ms. van Seenus was crafty and artistic, even sewing her own prom dress. New York Times, 9 Mar. 2022 Each country adds its own flair to the game — Italian and Spanish soccer are known for being skillful and fast-paced; Central American soccer is crafty and up-tempo; and German soccer is efficient and organized. Lauren Withrow, The Arizona Republic, 1 Mar. 2022 But Haniger’s crafty slide avoided the tag of Andres Gimenez, and only Trevor Stephan’s big effort allowed the Guards to wriggle out of a jam with Haniger at third representing the game-winning run. Joe Noga, cleveland, 27 Aug. 2022 Plus, its crafty blend of art and science makes learning even more fun. Karla Pope, Woman's Day, 25 Aug. 2022 Thanks to data from the Chandra X-ray Observatory and some crafty audio synthesis, scientists were able to create an audible version of the eerie drone manufactured by the black hole. Hunter Boyce, ajc, 22 Aug. 2022 As the war approaches the six month mark, Ukraine's supplies of many basic necessities are running low, leaving crafty Ukrainians to crowd source their way through a war that has no end in sight. Ed Flanagan, NBC News, 20 Aug. 2022 See More Word History
Etymology
see craft entry 1
First Known Use
before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Phrases Containing crafty
Kids Definition
crafty
adjective
ˈkraf-tē
craftier; craftiest
: skillful at tricking others : cunning
craftiness
noun
1
as in cunning
skill in achieving one's ends through indirect, subtle, or underhanded means other antique dealers envied her for her craftiness in getting people to sell their treasures for a song Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- cunning
- artfulness
- sneakiness
- guile
- craft
- deviousness
- slyness
- wiliness
- subtlety
- cunningness
- caginess
- subtleness
- canniness
- slickness
- ease
- foxiness
- artifice
- inventiveness
- cleverness
- shrewdness
- ingenuity
- cageyness
- guilefulness
- calculation
- design
- ingeniousness
- care
- savvy
- finesse
- duplicity
- shiftiness
- underhandedness
- deceitfulness
- sharpness
- facility
2
as in deception
the inclination or practice of misleading others through lies or trickery according to the confidence man's credo of craftiness, "There's a sucker born every minute" Synonyms & Similar Words
- deception
- deceit
- deceptiveness
- cunning
- deceitfulness
- fraud
- cheating
- guile
- duplicity
- lying
- wiliness
- craft
- cunningness
- dissimulation
- crookedness
- dishonesty
- dissembling
- fakery
- secrecy
- trickery
- foxiness
- artfulness
- cozenage
- double-dealing
- crookery
- subterfuge
- artifice
- prevarication
- chicanery
- dupery
- fraudulence
- shrewdness
- mendacity
- deviousness
- hypocrisy
- sneakiness
- swindling
- jugglery
- skulduggery
- guilefulness
- insincerity
- equivocation
- legerdemain
- underhandedness
- slyness
- skullduggery
- caginess
- wile
- shiftiness
- covertness
- unscrupulousness
- obliquity
- fib
- furtiveness
- stealthiness
- sanctimoniousness
- shadiness
- falsehood
- slipperiness
- slickness
- untruth
- treacherousness
- smoothness
- mountebankery
- chicane
- two-facedness
- falsity
- cageyness
- oiliness
- hanky-panky
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- sincerity
- guilelessness
- ingenuousness
- artlessness
- forthrightness
- plainness
- frankness
- candor
- openness
- directness
- honesty
- goodness
- candidness
- reliability
- probity
- righteousness
- trustworthiness
- truthfulness
- solidity
- integrity
- dependability
- good faith
- uprightness
- virtuousness
- decency
- incorruptibility
- plainspokenness
- trustiness
- reliableness
- trustability