adjective
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skilled in deception; shrewd; cunning
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archaic skilful
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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craftinessnoun
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uncraftinessnoun
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quasi-craftyadjective
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uncraftyadjective
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craftilyadverb
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quasi-craftilyadverb
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uncraftilyadverb
Inflected Forms
Adjectives
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.
See Examples For:
Look at those crafty Rays, flexing for a trade at the deadline.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 3, 2026
You can also fill individual piping bags with your favorite sauces and get really crafty.
From Salon ● Jun. 6, 2026
“Susie is crafty and she’s into role-playing. In my mind, she had a closet full of clothes.”
From Los Angeles Times ● May 20, 2026
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
In the crafty vein, Madison was ingenious at contesting the strongest argument for a Pennsylvania location, which was its geographic centrality.
From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis
Cornerbacks typically endure miserable rookie seasons: The receivers they cover are bigger, faster and craftier than the ones they faced in college, while quarterbacks are quick to exploit their every blunder.
From New York Times ● Oct. 14, 2021
Is he just learning to pitch more craftier or should we be concerned with a potential injury or skill decline?
From Seattle Times ● Jun. 2, 2019
Woods spoke of craftier methods, the way he and Peyton Manning discussed probably around 2012, when the quarterback ailed and said he could do just six pushups, then went and won NFL MVP award.
From Washington Post ● May 14, 2019
But I wouldn't be surprised if Putin had something even craftier up his sleeve.
From Salon ● Oct. 24, 2018
The elder brother’s cowardice told him, in his craftier head, that a son could hardly raise his illegitimacy as a banner under which to overthrow his father.
From "The Once and Future King" by T. H. White
If that happens, the craftiest otters may be the most prepared.
From Science Magazine ● May 15, 2024
She’s the craftiest operator within the Waystar Royco ranks and has survived attempts by others to have her ousted.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 24, 2023
Since then, the Packers have rolled off four wins in a row with Rodgers back to his craftiest and most resourceful self.
From Seattle Times ● Jan. 2, 2023
The point guard was at his craftiest despite shooting just four free throws, and his confidence clearly rubbed off on the rest of the young Suns.
From Washington Post ● Jul. 6, 2021
Among the delegates was a “shaggy man with an unprepossessing manner and a crooked smile,” whom American Kremlinologists identified promptly as Semyon Tsarapkin, one of Moscow’s craftiest diplomatic negotiators.
From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik
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.
