Cunning
Double-booked flat viewings, fine-print clauses, and fable foxes all earn this adjective: cleverness with a hidden agenda attached.
Learn This WordMeaning
Clever in a deceitful way.
Memory trick
CUNNING foxes in every fable: knowing (kunnr) turned tricky.
Examples
The cunning fox escaped.
The cunning broker sold the same flat viewing slot to four families.
Her cunning move was letting both teams think she had already chosen.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Etymology
From Old Norse kunnr "knowing, wise." Knowing curdled into scheming: cleverness with a hidden agenda.
Usage Notes
Cleverness with suspicion attached: foxes, tricksters, and fine-print authors are cunning. As a noun it can mean skill (archaic, positive).
Real-life contexts
Use in stories: "The cunning merchant weighed the scale with his thumb."
Use in reviews: "A cunning plot twist redeems the slow middle."
Use in warnings: "Beware cunning clauses in the agreement."
Common Mistakes
Cunning carries deceit; for honest cleverness use shrewd or astute. Do not confuse with cunny, which is not standard English.
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Part of Speech
adjective
Difficulty
intermediateMonthly Searches
~34,000
Related Words
Serendipity
The occurrence of events by chance in a happy or beneficial way; a fortunate accident.
Pragmatism
A practical approach to problems and affairs; a way of thinking that evaluates ideas by their results and usefulness.
Pragmatic
Dealing with things sensibly and realistically in a way that is based on practical rather than theoretical considerations.