| Library / English Dictionary |
CUNNING
| Pronunciation (US): |  | (GB): | |
I. (noun)
Sense 1
Meaning:
Crafty artfulness (especially in deception)
Classified under:
Nouns denoting attributes of people and objects
Hypernyms ("cunning" is a kind of...):
artfulness (the quality of being adroit in taking unfair advantage)
Sense 2
Meaning:
Shrewdness as demonstrated by being skilled in deception
Synonyms:
craft; craftiness; cunning; foxiness; guile; slyness; wiliness
Classified under:
Nouns denoting cognitive processes and contents
Hypernyms ("cunning" is a kind of...):
astuteness; perspicaciousness; perspicacity; shrewdness (intelligence manifested by being astute (as in business dealings))
II. (adjective)
Sense 1
Meaning:
Showing inventiveness and skill
Example:
an ingenious solution to the problem
Synonyms:
Classified under:
Similar:
adroit (quick or skillful or adept in action or thought)
Sense 2
Meaning:
Marked by skill in deception
Example:
a wily old attorney
Synonyms:
crafty; cunning; dodgy; foxy; guileful; knavish; slick; sly; tricksy; tricky; wily
Classified under:
Similar:
artful (marked by skill in achieving a desired end especially with cunning or craft)
Sense 3
Meaning:
Attractive especially by means of smallness or prettiness or quaintness
Example:
a cunning baby
Synonyms:
cunning; cute
Classified under:
Adjectives
Similar:
attractive (pleasing to the eye or mind especially through beauty or charm)
Context examples:
And this the more surprised me, for I thought he had never shown himself so cunning as he did then.
(Treasure Island, by Robert Louis Stevenson)
There stood the bear, and he called the fox before him and said: Fox, you are the most cunning of all animals, you shall be general and lead us.
(Fairy Tales, by The Brothers Grimm)
He was cunning enough to do that with his knife.
(The Return of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)
It was he that first learned the trick of rolling a fellow- cub over with a cunning paw-stroke.
(White Fang, by Jack London)
"Now, Marmee, that is very cunning of you to turn our own stories against us, and give us a sermon instead of a romance!" cried Meg.
(Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott)
THAT was due to the folly of Robert, and the cunning of his wife; and it was earned by them before many months had passed away.
(Sense and Sensibility, by Jane Austen)
There is always something offensive in the details of cunning.
(Persuasion, by Jane Austen)
Did you think you could match cunning with me—you with your walnut of a brain?
(The Lost World, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)
One never knows what she has, sir: she is so cunning: it is not in mortal discretion to fathom her craft.
(Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë)
Fanny, Fanny, I see you smile and look cunning, but, upon my honour, I never bribed a physician in my life.
(Mansfield Park, by Jane Austen)
