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:
An all-rounder for the better part of her first decade in cricket, she made herself indispensable to the side with her explosive middle-order batting, crafty off-spin and sharp fielding skills.
From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2026
The rickety CGI not its strong suit, “Hope” never quite follows through on its crafty first hour of peekaboo velocity.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 11, 2026
You can also fill individual piping bags with your favorite sauces and get really crafty.
From Salon ● Jun. 6, 2026
Brunson embodies Knicks fans as they see themselves: confident, gritty, crafty, a tad disrespected, good in a jam.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 26, 2026
“On the other hand," he said slowly, “you always were a crafty dog. And there are a lot of letters there just for a bottle of wine. What about it, sweetheart?"
From "Inkheart" by Cornelia Funke
The remaining nominees — knockouts of style and mood — are craftier evocations, digging into spaces where memories are vivid yet elusive.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 15, 2024
Nearly a decade older and substantially craftier, Ms. Lash has returned to some of the same thematic territory in her new work, “Desire,” which premieres at the Miller Theater at Columbia University on Wednesday.
From New York Times ● Oct. 11, 2019
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
I didn’t want to reveal my observations because they might make her craftier, so I said, “I was just wondering.”
From "It All Comes Down to This" by Karen English
If that happens, the craftiest otters may be the most prepared.
From Science Magazine ● May 15, 2024
Hardy, “The Mockingbird & the Crow” Having written every stupid-brilliant bro-country song he could, one of Nashville’s craftiest operators turns his ball cap around and goes nü-metal.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 6, 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.
