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| Date: | 1200-1300 |
| Origin: | Present participle of cun 'to know', an early form of can; CAN1 |
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cun‧ning1
1 someone who is cunning is clever and good at deceiving people in order to get what they want [= crafty]: a cunning opponent
a cunning opponent2 behaviour or actions that are cunning are clever but dishonest and unfair, and are used to get what you want : a cunning plan
a cunning plan3 a cunning object or piece of equipment is clever and unusual : a cunning little device for keeping out draughts
a cunning little device for keeping out draughts4 American English old-fashioned attractive : a cunning little dress
a cunning little dress —cunningly adverb
WORD FOCUS: intelligent WORD FOCUS: intelligent similar words: clever especially BrE/smart especially AmE good at learning or understanding things quickly
bright intelligent - used especially about young people
brilliant a brilliant scientist, writer, student, historian etc is extremely intelligent and does very good work
brainy informal very intelligent and good at studying
gifted a gifted child is extremely intelligent
wise a wise person has a lot of experience and knowledge, and can give good advice
cunning/crafty good at using your intelligence to trick people
intelligent people: genius someone who is extremely intelligent and has great ideas
intellectual someone who is well-educated and interested in art, science, or literature at a high level
intelligentsia a country's intellectuals, considered as a single group
➔ See also intelligent
