canny

[ kan-ee ]

/ ˈkæn i /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR canny ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective, can·ni·er, can·ni·est.

careful; cautious; prudent: a canny reply.

astute; shrewd; knowing; sagacious: a canny negotiator.

skilled; expert.

frugal; thrifty: a canny housewife.

Scot.

safe to deal with, invest in, or work at (usually used with a negative).
gentle; careful; steady.
snug; cozy; comfortable.
pleasing; attractive.
Archaic. having supernatural or occult powers.

adverb Also can·ni·ly.

in a canny manner.

Scot. carefully; cautiously.

Nearby words

cannot, cannula, cannular, cannulate, cannulation, canny, canoas, canoe, canoe birch, canoe slalom, canoeing

Origin of canny

First recorded in 1630–40; can¹ + -y¹

Related forms

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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for cannily

Perhaps you like your Neil Patrick Harris belting in high heels on Broadway, or cannily emceeing an awards show?
Choose Your Own Neil Patrick Harris: The Star on ‘Doogie,’ ‘Gone Girl,’ Gay Sex and More|Kevin Fallon|October 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Willimon cannily structures the episodes of House of Cards in a more naturalistic fashion than traditional television.
‘House of Cards’: Should You Binge-Watch Netflix’s Political Drama?|Jace Lacob|February 5, 2013|DAILY BEAST
It went "cannily" forward, and knew how "to take occasion by the hand," and how to choose its friends.
The Squire of Sandal-Side|Amelia Edith Huddleston Barr
Horace cannily tried to extract from Jake the promise of a commission before he told him.
In a Little Town|Rupert Hughes

Mary V, cannily watching the wide waste behind her as she rode homeward, saw him and made sure of him through her glasses.
Skyrider|B. M. Bower
The doctor was called, and cannily solved the problem with a buttered shoe-horn.
Dear Enemy|Jean Webster
Cannily the young woman lifted her eyes to his and fathomed him mutely for an instant.
The Sick-a-Bed Lady|Eleanor Hallowell Abbott

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

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