canniness

noun

Definition of canninessnext
1
as in intelligence
exceptional discernment and judgment especially in practical matters negotiates business deals with all of the proverbial canniness of an old-time horse trader

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in cunning
skill in achieving one's ends through indirect, subtle, or underhanded means the canniness with which she negotiated her contract as spokesperson for the shoe manufacturer

Synonyms & Similar Words

Examples Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for canniness
  1. intelligence
  2. cunning
  3. wit
  4. subtlety
  5. acumen
Noun
  • Today, such a contest would be made all the more unpredictable given the complexity and ambiguity of measuring progress toward something so abstract as intelligence.
    Henry A. Kissinger, Foreign Affairs, 18 Nov. 2024
  • The second episode illustrates the scope of the resources and intelligence operation required to identify and attempt to hunt him down.
    Sophie Brookover, Vulture, 16 Nov. 2024
Definition of intelligence
Noun
  • The movie’s costume designer Tom Broecker says the change highlights the lethal cunning that lurks below the character’s beauty.
    Alexandra Willingham, CNN, 29 Oct. 2024
  • Successful criminals need to have discipline, a plan, patience, and cunning.
    Erin Qualey, Vulture, 28 Aug. 2024
Definition of cunning
Noun
  • This is an authorized telling, written with the participation of its subject, who contributes comments with restrained candor and wry, arch wit.
    David Hajdu, The Atlantic, 23 Oct. 2024
  • The women in my family are known for their wit and their grit, but not exactly their warmth and sensitivity.
    Blake Cale, Vogue, 12 Oct. 2024
Definition of wit
Noun
  • Employees are acutely attuned to the subtleties in their supervisor’s communication, using these cues to gauge trustworthiness and interpret intentions.
    Cheryl Robinson, Forbes, 4 Nov. 2024
  • The masterful subtlety of light brushstrokes and the troublingly realistic sfumato of the Renaissance painter in the service of god or a noblewoman elevated the work and, by extension, its maker to celebrity.
    Ruby Justice Thelot, ARTnews.com, 1 Nov. 2024
Definition of subtlety
Noun
  • The guys up at Auburn rave about his intelligence, his football acumen and his work ethic.
    Creg Stephenson | cstephenson@al.com, al, 20 Jan. 2023
  • But Lord knows, there’s a mountain of acumen and perspicacity or, in plain terms, good horse sense stored in those minds and souls.
    Gordon Monson, The Salt Lake Tribune, 8 Jan. 2023
Definition of acumen
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.

Thesaurus Entries Near canniness

cannily

canniness

canning

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Cite this Entry

“Canniness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/canniness. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.

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