canny

American  

[kan-ee] / ˈkæn i /

adjective

cannier, canniest

1. careful; cautious; prudent.

   a canny reply.

2. astute; shrewd; knowing; sagacious.

   a canny negotiator.

3. skilled; expert.

4. frugal; thrifty.

   a canny housewife.

5. Scot.

   1. safe to deal with, invest in, or work at (usually used with a negative).

   2. gentle; careful; steady.

   3. snug; cozy; comfortable.

   4. pleasing; attractive.

   5. Archaic. having supernatural or occult powers.

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adverb

1. in a canny manner.

2. Scot. carefully; cautiously.

canny British  

/ ˈkænɪ /

adjective

1. shrewd, esp in business; astute or wary; knowing

2. dialect good or nice: used as a general term of approval

3. lucky or fortunate

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adverb

1. dialect quite; rather

   a canny long while

Other Word Forms

• cannily
  adverb
• canniness
  noun
• overcanny
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of canny

First recorded in 1580–90; can ¹ + -y ¹

Explanation

If you're a canny investor, you know how to spend money to make money — that is, you're prudent, farsighted, and capable of protecting your own interests, particularly in matters of finance or business. In contemporary usage, canny is a synonym for shrewd. Both words mean smart or sharp-witted, but they also suggest that someone is smart in a self-serving and possibly even tricky way. Canny is also related to the word cunning — another adjective meaning "wise," but with negative connotations. Uncanny is not the opposite of canny — it means "weird" or "unsettling."

Example Sentences

They also share a reputation for being canny directors of actors, understanding from their experience in the spotlight what to say to a performer and when to say it.

From Los Angeles Times • May 6, 2026

Griffin even made for himself an industry town called Frostproof—a canny, if defiant, advertising play, named years prior, after the town had survived the mythic 1895 freeze without much issue.

From Slate • Apr. 20, 2026

Probing further, the critic hears, beneath the brazenness, a canny control in the singer’s voice that “tells us more than the words it delivers.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 24, 2026

He has also homed in on a canny, powerful message that could prove to have wider appeal than O’Rourke’s.

From Salon • Mar. 9, 2026

He or she is a deep thinker, canny like a fox, inspirational, and in many cases the toughest person in the boat.

From "The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics" by Daniel James Brown

Related Words

• adroit
• astute
• cagey
• cautious
• discreet
• frugal
• ingenious
• intelligent
• judicious
• prudent
• shrewd
• skillful
• sly
• subtle
• wise