cunningly
Americanadverb
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in a way that shows ingenuity or shrewdness.
The game introduces basic principles of coding and develops problem-solving prowess while cunningly disguised as just another game.
-
Informal. in a way that is charmingly cute or appealing.
The cunningly named FarmHouse Hotel reflects the quaint beauty of the English countryside.
Other Word Forms
- overcunningly adverb
- quasi-cunningly adverb
Etymology
Origin of cunningly
Explanation
To do something cunningly is to do it in a crafty, sneaky, and skillful manner. You might cunningly distract your parents so your brother can sneak a few extra cookies from the cookie jar. Just make sure he shares. If you do something cunningly, you are being a little sneaky. You might cunningly compliment your mom just to get on her good side before she sees your report card. Your best friend might lie so cunningly that people always believe him, while your awkward fibs get you caught every time. Cunningly comes from the adjective cunning, based on the now-obsolete verb cunnen, "to know."
Vocabulary lists containing cunningly
"The Tell-Tale Heart" by Edgar Allan Poe
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The Jungle Book
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Part 2 Vocabulary (Unit 1)
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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.
“I’m in the business of human emotion,” Swift says during the show, cunningly nodding to the way she’s commodified her feelings and made a profit on relatability.
From Salon • Aug. 20, 2025
Then it was on to selling him, cunningly and ferociously, to RCA, 20th Century Fox and whoever else would help build the mighty Elvis industry.
From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 3, 2025
Passing sentence Judge Geoffery Baker QC described Saeed as a "charlatan", who had carried out a deception that had been "cunningly contrived, skilfully executed, and brazenly maintained over three decades".
From BBC • Feb. 23, 2025
This system cunningly increases the proportion of offspring with Wolbachia and the virus in the next generation, because females with the bacteria successfully reproduce more frequently than females without.
From Science Daily • Mar. 7, 2024
Orr watched him cunningly with a noiseless grin.
From "Catch-22" by Joseph Heller
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.
