cunning

adjective

/ˈkʌnɪŋ/

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(disapproving) able to get what you want in a clever way, especially by tricking or cheating somebody synonym crafty, wily
- a cunning liar
- He was as cunning as a fox.
- That cunning old rogue is up to something, I'm sure.
Topics Personal qualitiesc2
clever and showing skill synonym ingenious
- It was a cunning piece of detective work.
Topics Personal qualitiesc2

Word OriginMiddle English: perhaps from Old Norse kunnandi ‘knowledge’, from kunna ‘know’ (related to can), or perhaps from Middle English cunne, an obsolete variant of can. The original sense was ‘(possessing) great academic knowledge or skill’ and had no implication of deceit; the sense ‘deceitfulness’ dates from late Middle English.

cunning

noun

/ˈkʌnɪŋ/

[uncountable]

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the ability to achieve something by tricking or cheating other people in a clever way synonym craftiness
- It took energy and cunning just to survive.
- She used low cunning (= dishonest behaviour) to get what she wanted.
Extra Examples
- He had used cunning to get what he wanted.
- She had great cunning and ruthlessness.
- She managed him with great cunning.
- She relied on her native cunning to survive.
Topics Personal qualitiesc2
Oxford Collocations Dictionary
adjective
- great
- devious
- low
- …
verb + cunning
- have
- show
- use
- …
preposition
- with cunning
See full entry
Word OriginMiddle English: perhaps from Old Norse kunnandi ‘knowledge’, from kunna ‘know’ (related to can), or perhaps from Middle English cunne, an obsolete variant of can. The original sense was ‘(possessing) great academic knowledge or skill’ and had no implication of deceit; the sense ‘deceitfulness’ dates from late Middle English.

单词	cunning
释义	cunning adjective /ˈkʌnɪŋ/ /ˈkʌnɪŋ/ jump to other results (disapproving) able to get what you want in a clever way, especially by tricking or cheating somebody synonym crafty, wily a cunning liar He was as cunning as a fox. That cunning old rogue is up to something, I'm sure. Topics Personal qualitiesc2 clever and showing skill synonym ingenious It was a cunning piece of detective work. Topics Personal qualitiesc2 Word OriginMiddle English: perhaps from Old Norse kunnandi ‘knowledge’, from kunna ‘know’ (related to can), or perhaps from Middle English cunne, an obsolete variant of can. The original sense was ‘(possessing) great academic knowledge or skill’ and had no implication of deceit; the sense ‘deceitfulness’ dates from late Middle English. cunning noun /ˈkʌnɪŋ/ /ˈkʌnɪŋ/ [uncountable] jump to other results the ability to achieve something by tricking or cheating other people in a clever way synonym craftiness It took energy and cunning just to survive. She used low cunning (= dishonest behaviour) to get what she wanted. Extra Examples He had used cunning to get what he wanted. She had great cunning and ruthlessness. She managed him with great cunning. She relied on her native cunning to survive. Topics Personal qualitiesc2 Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective great devious low … verb + cunning have show use … preposition with cunning See full entry Word OriginMiddle English: perhaps from Old Norse kunnandi ‘knowledge’, from kunna ‘know’ (related to can), or perhaps from Middle English cunne, an obsolete variant of can. The original sense was ‘(possessing) great academic knowledge or skill’ and had no implication of deceit; the sense ‘deceitfulness’ dates from late Middle English.
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