cunning meaning

UK US /ˈkʌnɪŋ/ 2 syllables

cunning (adjective): attractive especially by means of smallness or prettiness or quaintness.

cunning has 5 meanings in this dictionary, as adjective and noun.

cunning as an adjective

  1. attractive especially by means of smallness or prettiness or quaintness
    • a cute kid with pigtails
    • a cute little apartment
    • cunning kittens
    • a cunning baby

    Synonyms: cute

    Similar: attractive

  2. marked by skill in deception
    • cunning men often pass for wise
    • deep political machinations
    • a foxy scheme
    • a slick evasive answer
    • sly as a fox
    • tricky Dick
    • a wily old attorney

    Synonyms: crafty, dodgy, foxy, guileful, knavish, slick, sly, tricksy, tricky, wily

    Similar: artful

  3. showing inventiveness and skill
    • a clever gadget
    • the cunning maneuvers leading to his success
    • an ingenious solution to the problem

    Synonyms: clever, ingenious

    Similar: adroit

cunning as a noun

  1. shrewdness as demonstrated by being skilled in deception

    Synonyms: craft, craftiness, foxiness, guile, slyness, wiliness

    Type of: shrewdness

  2. crafty artfulness (especially in deception)

    Type of: artfulness

How to pronounce cunning

cunning is pronounced /ˈkʌnɪŋ/ in American English. It has 2 syllables, with the stress on the first syllable.

Words that rhyme with cunning

Scrabble score: 10 (letter breakdown)

Word lists: words starting with CU · words ending in NG · 7-letter words

More about cunning on Wikipedia.