cunning

I

(New American Roget's College Thesaurus)

Craftiness

Nouns

1. cunning, craft, craftiness, canniness, wit; gumption; slyness, artifice, art; subtlety, finesse, maneuvering; diplomacy, Machiavellianism, politics; resourcefulness; Jesuitry; gamesmanship, oneupmanship. Informal, foxiness, caginess. See skill, intelligence.

2. (deceptive cunning) chicane, chicanery, knavery, guile; fine Italian hand. Informal, finagling. See deception, improbity.

3. (cunning act) art, artifice; device, machination, plot, plan, maneuver, coup, stratagem, contrivance, feint, gambit, dodge, artful dodge, wile, trick; trickery, deception; ruse, side-blow, shift, go by, subterfuge; tour de force, tricks of the trade. Informal, gimmick[ry], shuttle diplomacy.

4. schemer, intriguer, strategist, tactician; diplomat, politician, power broker, kingmaker; Machiavelli; slyboots, knave, fox, Renard, horse trader. Informal, sly dog, slicker, grafter, Philadelphia lawyer.

Verbs — be cunning, contrive, machinate, plan, live by one's wits; chicane (see deception); play both ends against the middle; maneuver, scheme, finagle, play a deep game, play tricks (with); be too much for, get the better of, outsmart, outmaneuver, outwit, outfox. Slang, ace out, sandbag.

Adjectives — cunning, crafty, clever, calculating, artful; skillful (see skill); subtle, feline, vulpine; roguish; cunning as or crazy like a fox, cunning as the serpent; deep[-laid]; arch, designing, scheming, contriving; strategic, diplomatic, politic, Machiavellian, artificial, tricky, shifty, wily, sly (see deception); shrewd, acute; sharp [as a needle]; canny, astute, knowing, up to snuff, too clever by half. Slang, fly.

Adverbs — cunningly, slyly, cannily, cleverly, foxily, on the sly. Slang, cagily.

Phrases — in politics a man must learn to rise above principle.

Quotations — Politics is the art of the possible (Otto von Bismarck), Politics is perhaps the only profession for which no preparation is thought necessary (R. L. Stevenson), Politics is war without bloodshed (Mao Zedong), Politics are too serious a matter to be left to the politicians (Charles de Gaulle), To make a living, craftiness is better than learnedness (Beaumarchais).

Antonyms, see unskillfulness.

II

(Roget's IV) modif.

1. [Sly]

Syn. crafty, tricky, wily; see sly 1 .

2. [Shrewd]

Syn. clever, skillful, ingenious; see clever 1 , intelligent 1 .

See Synonym Study at clever , sly . n.

Syn. craft, art, shrewdness, subtlety, artifice, craftiness, guile, slyness, deceit, intrigue, chicanery, finesse; see also deception 1 .

III

(Roget's 3 Superthesaurus)

I

n.

''A sinister or crooked wisdom.''— Frances Bacon.

II

a.

1. crafty shrewd, wily, artful, cagey, sharp, deceptive, guileful, foxy, sly, slick, *streetwise.

2. ingenious imaginative, clever, skillful, inventive, dexterous, intelligent, masterly, resourceful.

ANT.: 1. artless, naive, honest. 2. stupid, unimaginative, moronic

IV

(Roget's Thesaurus II) I adjective Deceitfully clever: artful, crafty, foxy, guileful, scheming, sharp, sly, tricky, wily. See ABILITY, HONEST, MEANS. II noun 1. Deceitful cleverness: art, artfulness, artifice, craft, craftiness, foxiness, guile, slyness, wiliness. See HONEST, MEANS. 2. The act or practice of deceiving: deceit, deceitfulness, deception, double-dealing, duplicity, guile, shiftiness. See HONEST.