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WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2024cun•ning /ˈkʌnɪŋ/USA pronunciation n. [uncountable]- skill used in a shrewd or sly manner to deceive;
guile:In some fables it is the fox that has a lot of cunning.
adj. - shrewd;
crafty;
sly;
deceptive:that cunning old politician.
cun•ning•ly, adv. cun•ning•ness, n. [uncountable] WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2024cun•ning (kun′ing),USA pronunciation n. - skill employed in a shrewd or sly manner, as in deceiving;
craftiness;
guile. - adeptness in performance;
dexterity:The weaver's hand lost its cunning.
adj. - showing or made with ingenuity.
- artfully subtle or shrewd;
crafty;
sly. - Informal Termscharmingly cute or appealing:a cunning little baby.
- [Archaic.]skillful;
expert.
v. - [Obs.]ppr. of can 1.
- 1275–1325; (noun, nominal) Middle English; Old English cunnung, equivalent. to cunn(an) to know (see can1) + -ung -ing1; (adjective, adjectival, verb, verbal) Middle English, present participle of cunnan to know (see can1, -ing2)
- 1.See corresponding entry in Unabridged shrewdness, artfulness, wiliness, trickery, finesse, intrigue, slyness, deception. Cunning, artifice, craft imply an inclination toward deceit, slyness, and trickery. Cunning implies a shrewd, often instinctive skill in concealing or disguising the real purposes of one's actions:not intelligence but a low kind of cunning.An artifice is a clever, unscrupulous ruse, used to mislead others:a successful artifice to conceal one's motives.Craft suggests underhand methods and the use of deceptive devices and tricks to attain one's ends:craft and deceitfulness in every act.
- 2.See corresponding entry in Unabridged adroitness.
- 3.See corresponding entry in Unabridged ingenious, skillful.
- 4.See corresponding entry in Unabridged artful, wily, tricky, foxy.
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers:: cunning /ˈkʌnɪŋ/ adj - crafty and shrewd, esp in deception; sly
- made with or showing skill or cleverness; ingenious
n - craftiness, esp in deceiving; slyness
- cleverness, skill, or ingenuity
Etymology: Old English cunnende; related to cunnan to know (see can1), cunnian to test, experience, Old Norse kunna to knowˈcunningly adv ˈcunningness n |