canny

adjective

ˈka-nē How to pronounce canny (audio)
Definition of cannynext
1
as in smart
having or showing a practical cleverness or judgment a canny card player, good at psyching out his opponents

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in comfortable
chiefly Scottish enjoying physical comfort warm and canny under the woolen bedcovers, we didn't mind the chilly Scottish nights

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of canny Still, his detractors praise him as a canny operator. — Christian Edwards, CNN, 2 Feb. 2025 The more important thing for now is to understand the canny way that Cisco is positioning itself in the AI market, especially for enterprise customers. — Patrick Moorhead, Forbes, 14 Jan. 2025 Hird considers Saudi Arabia’s recent purchase of his local soccer team, Newcastle United, the opposite of canny. — Andrew Hankinson, airmail.news, 5 Oct. 2024 But Stern, despite some initially traditional documentary trappings, is weaving something a bit more canny here. — Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 23 Jan. 2025 See All Example Sentences for canny
Recent Examples of Synonyms for canny
  1. smart
  2. comfortable
  3. astute
  4. relaxed
  5. shrewd
  6. savvy
Adjective
  • Dalman, 26, just reached the end of his rookie contract with the Atlanta Falcons and is heralded as a smart, steady lineman who can be an asset as a run blocker.
    — Sean Hammond, Chicago Tribune, 18 Mar. 2025
  • When a smart manager like Ventura intentionally walks you in your third game, you are marked for greatness.
    — Phil Rogers, Forbes, 17 Mar. 2025
Definition of smart
Adjective
  • Quansah is comfortable in possession and has shown a desire to join attacks when required, but the passes he is required to make as a centre-back differ from those hit by a right-back.
    — Andy Jones, The Athletic, 13 Mar. 2025
  • Loungewear sets are a common airport outfit, but Markle’s striped button-down shirt and matching flared pants looked comfortable, but also polished enough to wear to work or dinner.
    — Rylee Johnston, Travel + Leisure, 12 Mar. 2025
Definition of comfortable
Adjective
  • Pelosi, 84, is serving her 20th term representing her San Francisco district in Congress and is seen by many as one of the most astute and impressive American political leaders in modern times.
    — Mark Davis, Newsweek, 16 Mar. 2025
  • Andrews' nuanced design of P.L. Travers' creation is an astute, mellifluous, and delightfully intimidating creature of talent and propriety — and as the world would realize, so, too, was Andrews.
    — EW Staff, EW.com, 2 Mar. 2025
Definition of astute
Adjective
  • The town’s relaxed coffee houses, restaurants, shops and boutiques are just a few steps from The Roundtree.
    — Irene S. Levine, Forbes, 15 Mar. 2025
  • His approach to the work on the day...is very relaxed.
    — Mark Davis, Newsweek, 14 Mar. 2025
Definition of relaxed
Adjective
  • These people painted a picture of a shrewd capitalist, making practical calculations to protect his businesses.
    — Ashley Belanger, Ars Technica, 20 Mar. 2025
  • Their shrewd negotiators would undoubtedly invoke American precedent to subdivide their political entities.
    — Steve Forbes, Forbes, 18 Mar. 2025
Definition of shrewd
Adjective
  • After making a few savvy moves on Monday, the Vikings wasted very little time making a splash on Tuesday.
    — Dane Mizutani, Twin Cities, 11 Mar. 2025
  • Coco needs to recreate hundreds of old landscapes and portraits of dead presidents, then Holden and his savvy trophy wife Talia (Eva De Dominici) have to slowly sell them two and three at a time to local art dealers to avoid flooding the market and raising eyebrows.
    — Christian Zilko, IndieWire, 9 Mar. 2025
Definition of savvy

Browse Nearby Words

canny
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Canny.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/canny. Accessed 25 Mar. 2025.

Copy Citation

Share

More from Merriam-Webster on canny

Nglish: Translation of canny for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)

The Difference Between 'i.e.' and 'e.g.'

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

More Commonly Misspelled Words

Words You Always Have to Look Up
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Top 10 Sophisticated Insults

Flower Etymologies For Your Spring Garden

More Words with Remarkable Origins

Terroir, Oenophile, & Magnum: Ten Words About Wine

8 Words for Lesser-Known Musical Instruments
See More

Popular Features

See More

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)

Top 10 Sophisticated Insults

Flower Etymologies For Your Spring Garden
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Word Game Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
dog-in-disguise
Rhyme Disguise Quiz Pair up words that look different but sound alike.
See All