craftiness

noun

Definition of craftinessnext
1
as in cunning
skill in achieving one's ends through indirect, subtle, or underhanded means other antique dealers envied her for her craftiness in getting people to sell their treasures for a song

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance
2
as in deception
the inclination or practice of misleading others through lies or trickery according to the confidence man's credo of craftiness, "There's a sucker born every minute"

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for craftiness
  1. cunning
  2. deception
  3. deceit
  4. guile
  5. craft
  6. fraud
Noun
  • Joey Merlo’s cunning, captivating On Set With Theda Bara first lit its murky lights at the Brick a year ago — and now, in a heartening example of institutional collaboration, the Transport Group and the Lucille Lortel Theatre have pitched in as presenters to bring it back for an encore performance.
    — Sara Holdren, Vulture, 14 Feb. 2024
  • For Mirren, the cunning and cruelty of Whitfield is a timely example of power corrupting absolutely.
    — Hunter Ingram, Variety, 23 Feb. 2025
Definition of cunning
Noun
  • In the beginning, each player is secretly assigned as either a Faithful or a Traitor, setting the stage for an intense game of deception, strategy and survival.
    — Jordana Comiter, People.com, 7 Mar. 2025
  • After weeks of treachery and deception, the final roundtable has been viewed, and the winner or winners for The Traitors Season 3 have been revealed.
    — Armando Tinoco, Deadline, 6 Mar. 2025
Definition of deception
Noun
  • But all 12 are saturated with deceit, consternation and heartbreak.
    — Linda Robertson, Miami Herald, 2 Mar. 2025
  • His real estate business, with finances overseen by a subservient non-CPA, committed so much deceit that the Trump Organization ended up convicted of tax crimes and its former chief financial officer went to jail—twice.
    — Dan Alexander, Forbes, 18 Feb. 2025
Definition of deceit
Noun
  • Morgan Gibbs-White operated with his usual brand of swagger and guile as Nuno Espirito Santo again handed him a deeper role in Forest’s midfield.
    — Paul Taylor, The Athletic, 17 Mar. 2025
  • All of which is to say, Cooper is very good at playing someone adept at persuasion, either through intimidation or guile.
    — Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 9 Mar. 2025
Definition of guile
Noun
  • The businesswoman isn't afraid to get her hands dirty, indulging in every aspect of the craft, but says her favorite part of the process is probably planning and laying everything out.
    — Hedy Phillips, People.com, 12 Mar. 2025
  • The program will feature Theaster Gates, the American interdisciplinary artist known for his social practice, who will explore inequalities by looking at lost and rediscovered crafts.
    — Nargess Banks, Forbes, 12 Mar. 2025
Definition of craft
Noun
  • Deputy Sheriffs are responsible for executing eviction notices, orders of protection, and investigating financial and tax fraud.
    — Thomas Tracy, New York Daily News, 17 Mar. 2025
  • Quantum computing could allow companies to analyze risk, detect fraud, and predict market trends better than ever before.
    — Dr. Diane Hamilton, Forbes, 17 Mar. 2025
Definition of fraud
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.

Browse Nearby Words

craftiness
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

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

Copy Citation

Share

More from Merriam-Webster on craftiness

Nglish: Translation of craftiness 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