cunningness

noun

Definition of cunningnessnext
1
as in cunning
skill in achieving one's ends through indirect, subtle, or underhanded means it took a certain amount of cunningness on the photographer's part to obtain such revealing portraits of his rich and famous subjects

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance
2
as in deception
the inclination or practice of misleading others through lies or trickery people should remember that it was cunningness and not kindness that made him a very wealthy lawyer

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Examples Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for cunningness
  1. cunning
  2. deception
  3. deceit
  4. fraud
Noun
  • The movie’s costume designer Tom Broecker says the change highlights the lethal cunning that lurks below the character’s beauty.
    Alexandra Willingham, CNN, 29 Oct. 2024
  • Successful criminals need to have discipline, a plan, patience, and cunning.
    Erin Qualey, Vulture, 28 Aug. 2024
Definition of cunning
Noun
  • But because pressured waterfowl aren’t easy to fool, hunters have been trying to perfect the art of decoy deception to swing the odds in their favor.
    Alice Jones Webb, Outdoor Life, 14 Nov. 2024
  • On Thursday, Prime Video debuted the first trailer for its series adaptation of the 1999 teen movie, all eight episodes premiering Nov. 21 on the streamer, bringing a familiar tale of deception to a new locale with all new characters.
    Glenn Garner, Deadline, 24 Oct. 2024
Definition of deception
Noun
  • This ongoing effort has created a web of cruelty, deceit, and corruption in which many unfortunate people are ensnared.
    Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 13 Sep. 2024
  • Still, the lawsuit has exposed layers of contradictions and deceit in the Saudi government’s portrayal of Omar al-Bayoumi, a middle-aged Saudi graduate student in San Diego who was the central figure in the hijackers’ support network.
    Tim Golden, ProPublica, 11 Sep. 2024
Definition of deceit
Noun
  • Read Article > Elon Musk spent Election Day on X praising men, amplifying anti-immigrant conspiracies, and accusing Democrats of voter fraud.
    Vox Staff, Vox, 6 Nov. 2024
  • But the perception of machine hacks and voter fraud alone is enough to spur violence and lead voters to question the outcome of an election.
    Sam Sabin, Axios, 5 Nov. 2024
Definition of fraud
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Thesaurus Entries Near cunningness

cunningly

cunningness

cup

See More Nearby Entries 

Cite this Entry

“Cunningness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cunningness. Accessed 21 Nov. 2024.

Copy Citation

Share

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See All

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)

Plural and Possessive Names: A Guide

The Difference Between 'i.e.' and 'e.g.'

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See All

Popular in Wordplay

See All

8 Words with Fascinating Histories

8 Words for Lesser-Known Musical Instruments

Birds Say the Darndest Things

10 Words from Taylor Swift Songs (Merriam's Version)

10 Scrabble Words Without Any Vowels
See All

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Word Game Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
silhouette of a man with a megaphone against a british flag
Another Great British Vocabulary Quiz, Innit? A double-decker quiz with words from across the pond