cunning

American  

[kuhn-ing] / ˈkʌn ɪŋ /

noun

1. skill employed in a shrewd or sly manner, as in deceiving; craftiness; guile.

   Synonyms:

   deception, intrigue, trickery

2. adeptness in performance; dexterity.

   The weaver's hand had not lost its cunning.

   Synonyms:

   agility, adroitness

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adjective

1. showing or made with ingenuity.

   Synonyms:

   skillful, ingenious

2. artfully subtle or shrewd; crafty; sly.

   Synonyms:

   foxy, tricky, wily, artful

3. Informal. charmingly cute or appealing.

   a cunning little baby.

4. Archaic. skillful; expert.

verb

1. Obsolete. present participle of can.

cunning British  

/ ˈkʌnɪŋ /

adjective

1. crafty and shrewd, esp in deception; sly

   cunning as a fox

2. made with or showing skill or cleverness; ingenious

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noun

1. craftiness, esp in deceiving; slyness

2. cleverness, skill, or ingenuity

Related Words

Cunning, artifice, craft imply an inclination toward deceit, slyness, and trickery. Cunning implies a shrewd, often instinctive skill in concealing or disguising the real purposes of one's actions: not intelligence but a low kind of cunning. An artifice is a clever, unscrupulous ruse, used to mislead others: a successful artifice to conceal one's motives. Craft suggests underhand methods and the use of deceptive devices and tricks to attain one's ends: craft and deceitfulness in every act.

Other Word Forms

• cunningly adverb
• cunningness noun
• overcunning adjective
• overcunningness noun
• quasi-cunning adjective

Etymology

Origin of cunning

First recorded in 1275–1325; (noun) Middle English; Old English cunnung, equivalent to cunn(an) “to know” ( can ¹ ) + -ung -ing ¹; (adjective, verb) Middle English, present participle of cunnan “to know” ( can ¹, -ing ² )

Explanation

In fairy tales, always watch out for the cunning fox or the cunning witch. Cunning means clever, in the sense of trickery. A cunning plan might involve setting traps for the innocent and pure at heart to fall into. This adjective goes back to the 14th-century English verb cunnen, which meant "to know," and is actually related to our English verb know. In earlier times, the noun was used to mean a high level of skill in using the hands. You can be cunning, but you can also use your cunning to figure out a very clever and tricky plan.

Example Sentences

That shift has surprised many who credited Orban’s total two decades in power to his cunning political instincts.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 11, 2026

Septimius Severus was capable by turns of savagery, cunning, wit and generosity.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 19, 2026

As Thia tries to complete the mission she failed alongside her synthetic sister, Fanning relishes the chance to play the far more violent and cunning counterpart, Tessa.

From Salon • Jan. 24, 2026

Fiona later admitted: "My cunning plan was not cunning at all!"

From BBC • Jan. 10, 2026

Even the gods cannot change destiny, and if he was to save Balder he would have to do it with cunning, and he would need help.

From "Norse Mythology" by Neil Gaiman