01 a. Knowing; skillful; dexterous.
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1.
Knowing; skillful; dexterous.““Tis beauty truly blent, whose red and white Nature's own sweet and cunning hand laid on.” — Shak.“Esau was a cunning hunter.” — Gen xxv. 27.
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2.
Wrought with, or exhibiting, skill or ingenuity; ingenious; curious; as, cunning work.“Over them Arachne high did lift Her cunning web.” — Spenser.
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3.
Crafty; sly; artful; designing; deceitful.“They are resolved to be cunning; let others run the hazard of being sincere.” — South.
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4.
Pretty or pleasing; as, a cunning little boy.[Colloq. U.S.]
Syn.
Cunning, Artful, Sly, Wily, Crafty.
These epithets agree in expressing an aptitude for attaining some end by peculiar and secret means. Cunning is usually low; as, a cunning trick. Artful is more ingenious and inventive; as, an artful device. Sly implies a turn for what is double or concealed; as, sly humor; a sly evasion. Crafty denotes a talent for dexterously deceiving; as, a crafty manager. Wily describes a talent for the use of stratagems; as, a wily politician. A cunning man often shows his dexterity in simply concealing. An artful man goes further, and exerts his ingenuity in misleading. A crafty man mingles cunning with art, and so shapes his actions as to lull suspicions. The young may be cunning, but the experienced only can be crafty. Slyness is a vulgar kind of cunning; the sly man goes cautiously and silently to work. Wiliness is a species of cunning or craft applicable only to cases of attack and defense.” Crabb.