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
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cunningness
Noun
-
Neither his fearsome resolve nor his supreme cunning—which had enabled him to vanquish his rivals and spiritually crush his inner circle—was in evidence in 1941.—
Stephen Kotkin,
Foreign Affairs,
19 Sep. 2017 -
Despite being outnumbered 50-to-1 by the Five Families of the Italian mafia, the Westies’ legendary brutality and cunning have given them the leverage necessary to share the spoils through a fragile détente.—
Nellie Andreeva,
Deadline,
18 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
Through shocking testimonies from government insiders, confidential documents, and private audio recordings from the highest level of the military, BODYGUARD OF LIES exposes the tangled web of deception fed to the American public by the U.S. government during its 20-year war in Afghanistan.—
Matthew Carey,
Deadline,
7 May 2025
-
Mauriello, a senior lecturer at the University of Maryland, said in his experience, people's sympathetic nervous system could be activated by a host of reasons — beyond deception.—
Juliana Kim,
NPR,
30 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
In Towards Zero, Rhys plays a troubled detective who tries to untangle a toxic web of jealousy, deceit and dysfunction.—
Brianne Tracy,
People.com,
29 Apr. 2025
-
But today, finally, Santos has been held accountable for his years of fraud, deceit and theft.—
Barnini Chakraborty,
The Washington Examiner,
25 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
Republicans defend the changes as necessary to prevent fraud in the petition-gathering process, but bill sponsors said that among hundreds of allegations of petition fraud in 2024, there were 18 arrests.—
Steve Bousquet,
Sun Sentinel,
3 May 2025
-
Both were eventually convicted on various counts of wire and securities fraud, as well as money laundering.—
Joe Otterson,
Variety,
2 May 2025
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.
Cite this Entry
“Cunningness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cunningness. Accessed 19 May. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share