1
as in cute
clever at attaining one's ends by indirect and often deceptive means
a cunning, underhanded plan to win the election by preying on people's fears and prejudices
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in skilled
skillful with the hands
only the most cunning cabinetmaker could have crafted such a beautifully proportioned chest of drawers
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in slyness
skill in achieving one's ends through indirect, subtle, or underhanded means
the cunning with which Tom Sawyer was able to get others to whitewash the fence for him
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2
as in skill
subtle or imaginative ability in inventing, devising, or executing something
the unmatched cunning of the scout who led them safely through the trackless wilderness
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in deception
the inclination or practice of misleading others through lies or trickery
used cunning and subterfuge to lure unwitting victims into the fraudulent scheme
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of cunning
Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 22 Jan. 2026
Daemon is one of the most clever, cunning and conniving characters in House of the Dragon, who always seems to have the upper hand.
—Skyler Trepel, PEOPLE, 19 Jan. 2026
Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 21 Oct. 2025
Federico Marchetti, the Italian fashion entrepreneur, is a master of sprezzatura—the courtier’s art of cloaking ambition and cunning in an air of guileless nonchalance.
—John Seabrook, New Yorker, 29 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for cunning
Adjective
They’re built up to be these impossibly deadly and evil and cunning foes, and then our much less impressive heroes manage to take them down through grit and determination or just dumb luck.
—Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 22 Jan. 2026
Daemon is one of the most clever, cunning and conniving characters in House of the Dragon, who always seems to have the upper hand.
—Skyler Trepel, PEOPLE, 19 Jan. 2026
Noun
The story follows Toto, an almost completely blind cat with incredible ninja skills, who must use her courage and cunning to stop a deadly King Cobra that has escaped onto the streets of London, alongside her cheeky brother Silver.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 21 Oct. 2025
Federico Marchetti, the Italian fashion entrepreneur, is a master of sprezzatura—the courtier’s art of cloaking ambition and cunning in an air of guileless nonchalance.
—John Seabrook, New Yorker, 29 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for cunning
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cunning
Adjective
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The Puppy Bowl isn’t just cute — it’s built around adoption, heart and moments that matter beyond Super Bowl Sunday.—
Kelsey Monstrola,
USA Today,
7 Feb. 2026
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Don’t be shy when playing around with colors, patterns, and cute Galentine’s motifs.—
Sophia Beams,
Better Homes & Gardens,
7 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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The pyramids, the temples, the stunning gold jewelry found in royal tombs — all of these marvels depended on practical, everyday tools wielded by skilled hands.—
Ryan Brennan,
Miami Herald,
13 Feb. 2026
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There’s a shortage of skilled workers who have both the manual skills and the organizational skills needed for the sector, and there’s also competition among companies for warehouse personnel based on pay, benefits, lifestyle and more.—
Laya Neelakandan,
CNBC,
13 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Like the tricksters of myth, there’s depth to their slyness.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
5 Feb. 2026
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Ay, the superb slyness of that last response!—
Anthony Lane,
New Yorker,
8 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Using skills, Codex can pull design assets from Figma, manage bug tracking and releases in Linear, deploy applications to cloud platforms such as Vercel and Cloudflare, and generate images using OpenAI’s image model.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
5 Feb. 2026
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Kate had changed her hair into a stylish bob — but apparently hadn’t updated her mothering skills — two years later when, in the sequel, Kevin again was discovered missing, at the Miami airport.—
Jocelyn Noveck,
Mercury News,
5 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Sybiha said Russia uses a range of tactics to recruit foreigners, including financial incentives, deception and coercion.—
Ashley Carnahan,
FOXNews.com,
10 Feb. 2026
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The crux of the Democrats’ deception is that repealing 287(g) will make our communities safer.—
Robin Grammer,
Baltimore Sun,
10 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Those videos, especially in the case of Alex Pretti’s shooting, drowned out both the slop and slick government productions.—
Ben Smith,
semafor.com,
9 Feb. 2026
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Tailors the engine torque and transmission shift patterns to reduce wheel spin on icy or slick roads.—
Tony Leopardo,
Mercury News,
8 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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During her tenure at UTA, her skillful agenting has shaped and built the careers of so many iconic talents.—
Nellie Andreeva,
Deadline,
5 Feb. 2026
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She is remembered as a gifted painter and skillful in pastels, in addition to being an avid supporter of philanthropic causes and frequent golfer, finding both love and frustration in the sport, her family says.—
Alysa Guffey,
IndyStar,
4 Feb. 2026
Noun
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The Hornets showed some guile, climbing out of a cavernous 22-point deficit that was a direct result of too many turnovers, a lack of defensive intensity and yielding a flurry of 30 first-half points in the paint.—
Roderick Boone,
Charlotte Observer,
3 Feb. 2026
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Brentford are one of the league’s most effective counter-attacking sides, but can lack guile against deep-lying opponents.—
James McNicholas,
New York Times,
31 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Cunning.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cunning. Accessed 14 Feb. 2026.
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