Adjective
a canny card player, good at psyching out his opponents
warm and canny under the woolen bedcovers, we didn't mind the chilly Scottish nights
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Adjective
Layla and Shams have become canny in learning how to survive, but Shams wasn’t able to save their other brother Tareq or her husband, both of whom were killed.—Jay Weissberg, Variety, 17 May 2026 Deploying a top-notch slutty house-meets-electro record is one of the canniest moves he’s ever made.—Hattie Lindert, Pitchfork, 15 May 2026 The chef Brooks Headley seizes the day every day, showing us that vegetables are canny, capricious characters, capable of anything.—Ligaya Mishan, New York Times, 11 May 2026 Byron’s a canny, bold, and incisive critic.—Brittany Allen, Literary Hub, 27 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for canny
Word History
Etymology
Adjective
originally Scots & regional northern English, going back to early Scots, "free from risk, sagacious, prudent, cautious," probably from can "ability" (noun derivative of cancan entry 1) + -y-y entry 1