canny
Americanadjective
adverb
-
in a canny manner.
-
Scot. carefully; cautiously.
adjective
-
shrewd, esp in business; astute or wary; knowing
-
dialect good or nice: used as a general term of approval
-
lucky or fortunate
adverb
Other Word Forms
- cannily adverb
- canniness noun
- overcanny adjective
Etymology
Origin of canny
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.
Rodríguez is considered a canny politician who some contend is much less ideological than her leftist history implies.
From Salon
It marks a bizarre and spectacular union of the interests of Sir Lord Jimmy, who is so Satanic that he wears an upside-down cross, and the canny Dr. Kelson.
However, he's been around the block and is a canny operator.
From BBC
“Although many London areas sit at the bottom of the rankings, prospects in London are much improved on those over recent years and there are some opportunities for canny buyers seeking value for money.”
Our critic called it a “handsome, scholarly exhibition” whose “curators and designers have done a canny, mostly successful job of making its dense history digestible.”
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.
