adjective
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skilled in deception; shrewd; cunning
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archaic skilful
Other Word Forms
- craftily adverb
- craftiness noun
- quasi-craftily adverb
- quasi-crafty adjective
- uncraftily adverb
- uncraftiness noun
- uncrafty adjective
Etymology
Origin of crafty
before 900; Middle English; Old English cræftig skilled. See craft, -y 1
Explanation
If people call you crafty, they probably mean you are sly and a little deceptive. Then again, they could be saying that you are really good at knitting, beading, and turning old t-shirts into funky pillowcases. The adjective crafty comes from the Old English word cræftig, which meant “strong” or “powerful,” but the meaning of crafty these days has to do with being skilled at getting what you want through manipulation or trickery. Dickens’ Artful Dodger, the con-man from Oliver Twist, is crafty. Handmade items, and sometimes the people who make them, can also be called crafty, like your crafty sister who always makes you unique birthday gifts.
Vocabulary lists containing crafty
Charlotte's Web
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This Week in Words: January 6 - 12, 2018
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Bright Ideas: Synonyms For "Smart"
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
If you’re a crafty person, which it sounds like you are, I can understand the temptation to update whatever you want with the intention of changing it back before moving out.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 30, 2026
Arsenal's 11 international withdrawals - injury crisis or crafty caution?
From BBC • Apr. 3, 2026
Mr. Cameron was once a crafty genre writer and an adept director; now he is merely a showman.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 17, 2025
As MacGruber, a riff on the equal parts cheesy and crafty ’80s television hero MacGyver, Forte attempted to diffuse a ticking time bomb while being distracted by the possible release of the Epstein files.
From Salon • Nov. 16, 2025
Her crafty, golden eyes had not been idle for a second since entering Cluny’s camp.
From "Redwall" by Brian Jacques
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
