cunning
attractive especially by means of smallness or prettiness or quaintness
How often you will meet it
Rank 2,683 of 71,295 words measured. It occurs 6,214 times across 175,160 chapters — 0.003% of every word in the library.
What it means
adjective
- attractive especially by means of smallness or prettiness or quaintness also: cute a cute kid with pigtailsa cute little apartment
- marked by skill in deception also: crafty, dodgy, foxy, guileful, knavish, slick cunning men often pass for wisedeep political machinations
- showing inventiveness and skill also: clever, ingenious a clever gadgetthe cunning maneuvers leading to his success
noun
- shrewdness as demonstrated by being skilled in deception also: craft, craftiness, foxiness, guile, slyness, wiliness
- crafty artfulness (especially in deception)
cunning in real books
Each sentence below was written by a published author and is taken from a different book in our library. Open one to read the passage it came from, with narration.
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All the treaties he makes are forced from him by violence or cunning.
The Dream · Émile Zola · Chapter 1
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Now, Tom was a cunning little fellow—as cunning as an old Exmoor stag.
The Water-Babies · Charles Kingsley · Chapter 1
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Tall and strong for his age, he had bright intelligent eyes, and features expressive of watchfulness and cunning.
The Lerouge Case · Emile Gaboriau · Chapter 1
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Feigned acceptance when I asked, Lovely words with cunning masked, Holy vows but heart unholy; Wretched man, my trust was folly!
Elizabethan Sonnet Cycles: Phillis - Licia · Martha Foote [Editor] Crow · Chapter 1
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When the old woman saw that the powers of her magic were of so little avail, she had recourse to cunning.
The Yellow Fairy Book: The Grateful Beasts · World Traditions (Celtic, Norse, Asian & Persian) · Chapter 1