canny

[ kan-ee ]
/ ˈkæn i /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR canny ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective, can·ni·er, can·ni·est.

adverb Also can·ni·ly.

in a canny manner.
Scot. carefully; cautiously.

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Origin of canny

First recorded in 1630–40; can1 + -y1

OTHER WORDS FROM canny

can·ni·ness, nouno·ver·can·ny, adjective

Words nearby canny

cannot, cannula, cannular, cannulate, cannulation, canny, canoas, canoe, canoe birch, canoe slalom, canoewood
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to cannily

meanly, miserly, greedily, parsimoniously, stingily

Example sentences from the Web for cannily

British Dictionary definitions for cannily

canny
/ (ˈkænɪ) /

adjective -nier or -niest

shrewd, esp in business; astute or wary; knowing
Scot and Northeast English dialect good or nice: used as a general term of approval
Scot lucky or fortunate

adverb

Scot and Northeast English dialect quite; rathera canny long while

Derived forms of canny

cannily, adverbcanniness, noun

Word Origin for canny

C16: from can 1 (in the sense: to know how) + -y 1
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012