From Middle English cunning, kunning, konnyng, alteration of earlier Middle English cunninde, kunnende, cunnand, from Old English cunnende, present participle of cunnan (“to know how to, be able to”), equivalent to con + -ing. Cognate with Scots cunnand (“cunning”), German könnend (“able to do”), Icelandic kunnandi (“cunning”). More at con, can.
cunning (comparative more cunning, superlative most cunning)
- Sly; crafty; clever in surreptitious behaviour.
- Synonyms: see Thesaurus:wily
1692–1717, Robert South, Twelve Sermons Preached upon Several Occasions, volumes (please specify |volume=I to VI), London:They are resolved to be cunning; let others run the hazard of being sincere.
- (obsolete) Skillful, artful.
c. 1601–1602 (date written), William Shakespeare, “Twelfe Night, or What You Will”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene v]:Tis beauty truly blent, whose red and white / Nature's own sweet and cunning hand laid on.
- (obsolete) Wrought with, or exhibiting, skill or ingenuity; ingenious.
cunning work
- (Maine, colloquial, dated) Cute, appealing.
1857, Barbara H. Channing, The Sisters Abroad, Or, an Italian Journey:everybody gives something to the cunning little boy; his eyes are large and soft, and he wears a pointed hat, and tight breeches, and jacket
- → Japanese: カンニング (kanningu, “cheating”)
sly
- Arabic: مَاكِر (mākir)
- Armenian: խորամանկ (hy) (xoramank)
- Belarusian: хі́тры (be) (xítry)
- Bulgarian: лука́в (bg) (lukáv), кова́рен (bg) (kováren), хи́тър (bg) (hítǎr)
- Catalan: astut (ca), murri (ca), maquiavèl·lic (ca) m
- Chinese:
- Mandarin: 狡猾 (zh) (jiǎohuá), 狡詐/狡诈 (zh) (jiǎozhà), 狡黠 (zh) (jiǎoxiá)
- Czech: prohnaný, mazaný, vychytralý (cs)
- Dutch: sluw (nl), doortrapt (nl), geslepen (nl), leep (nl)
- Esperanto: ruza (eo)
- Finnish: ovela (fi), kiero (fi)
- French: rusé (fr)
- Galician: renarte, tréfego m, xistrón m, solerte, sangual, pillabán (gl) m, prosmeiro m, arteiro (gl) m, galdrido m, matreiro m
- Georgian: ცბიერი (cbieri), მზაკვრული (mzaḳvruli), ქვეშქვეშა (kveškveša), ეშმაკი (ešmaḳi)
- German: gerissen (de), schlau (de), listig (de), durchtrieben (de), hinterlistig (de), abgefeimt (de), listenreich, gefinkelt (de), gefitzt (de)
- Gothic: 𐌻𐌹𐍃𐍄𐌴𐌹𐌲𐍃 (listeigs)
- Greek:
- Ancient: κίδαφος (kídaphos), πυκνός (puknós)
- Hungarian: ravasz (hu), dörzsölt (hu), csalafinta (hu), cseles (hu), alattomos (hu)
- Ingrian: veekas, kavala
- Irish: glic
- Italian: furbo (it), astuto (it)
- Japanese: 狡猾な (ja) (こうかつな, kōkatsu na)
- Korean: 교활하다 (ko) (gyohwalhada)
- Kott: āru
- Latin: vafer, callidus, versūtus
- Latvian: viltīgs m
- Lithuanian: gudrus m
- Norman: rusé (Jersey)
- Old Church Slavonic:
- Cyrillic: хꙑтръ (xytrŭ), лѫкавъ (lǫkavŭ)
- Old English: ġēaplīċ
- Ottoman Turkish: قورناز (kurnaz), آصمق (asmak)
- Persian: مکار (fa) (makkâr), رند (fa) (rend)
- Polish: chytry (pl) m, cwany (pl) m, przebiegły (pl) m, sprytny (pl) m
- Portuguese: astuto (pt), esperto (pt), matreiro (pt)
- Romanian: viclean (ro) m, șiret (ro) m
- Russian: хи́трый (ru) (xítryj), лука́вый (ru) (lukávyj), кова́рный (ru) (kovárnyj), проны́рливый (ru) (pronýrlivyj), до́шлый (ru) (dóšlyj)
- Sanskrit: धूर्त (sa) (dhūrta)
- Scottish Gaelic: seòlta
- Serbo-Croatian:
- Cyrillic: лукав, препреден, подмукао
- Roman: lukav (sh), prepreden (sh), podmukao (sh)
- Slovak: mazaný, prefíkaný (sk)
- Slovene: zvit (sl)
- Spanish: astuto (es), pillo (es), listo (es), cuco (es), pícaro (es) m
- Swedish: slug (sv), listig (sv)
- Tagalog: tuso
- Ukrainian: хи́трий (xýtryj), лука́вий (lukávyj)
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skillful
- Bulgarian: сръчен (bg) (srǎčen), изкусен (bg) (izkusen)
- Catalan: astut (ca), murri (ca)
- Chinese:
- Mandarin: 巧妙 (zh) (qiǎomiào)
- Czech: šikovný (cs), obratný (cs)
- Dutch: handig (nl), bedreven (nl)
- Finnish: ovela (fi), taitava (fi)
- French: talentueux (fr) m
- Georgian: ცბიერი (cbieri)
- German: geschickt (de), gewandt (de), ausgefuchst (de), gewitzt (de), gewieft (de), clever (de), schlau (de), gefinkelt (de), ausgeklügelt (de), gefinkelt (de), gefitzt (de)
- Greek:
- Ancient: στρεβλός (streblós)
- Hungarian: ügyes (hu)
- Italian: ingegnoso (it)
- Japanese: 狡猾な (ja) (こうかつな, kōkatsu na), 巧妙な (ja) (こうみょうな, kōmyō na)
- Latin: callidus
- Persian: گربز (fa) (gorbez)
- Polish: umiejętny (pl) m, wprawny (pl) m, zręczny (pl) m
- Portuguese: astuto (pt), esperto (pt)
- Romanian: priceput (ro) m
- Russian: уме́лый (ru) (umélyj), иску́сный (ru) (iskúsnyj), ло́вкий (ru) (lóvkij)
- Scottish Gaelic: seòlta
- Slovak: chytrý
- Spanish: astuto (es), ingenioso (es)
- Telugu: నేర్పరి (te) (nērpari)
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Translations to be checked
From Middle English cunning, kunnyng, partially from Old English *cunning (verbal noun), from Old English cunnan (“to know how to, be able to”); partially from Old English cunnung (“knowledge, trial, probation, experience, contact, carnal knowledge”), from cunnian (“to search into, try, test, seek for, explore, investigate, experience, have experience of, to make trial of, know”), equivalent to con + -ing.
cunning (countable and uncountable, plural cunnings)
- Practical knowledge or experience; aptitude in performance; skill, proficiency; dexterity.
2005, Plato, translated by Lesley Brown, Sophist, page 236d:indeed at this very moment he's slipped away with the utmost cunning into a form that's most perplexing to investigate.
- Practical skill employed in a secret or crafty manner; craft; artifice; skillful deceit; art or magic.
1610–1611 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tempest”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene ii]:Caliban: As I told thee before, I am subject to a tyrant, a sorcerer that by his cunning hath cheated me of the island.
- The disposition to employ one's skill in an artful manner; craftiness; guile; artifice; skill of being cunning, sly, conniving, or deceitful.
- The natural wit or instincts of an animal.
the cunning of the fox or hare
- (obsolete) Knowledge; learning; special knowledge (sometimes implying occult or magical knowledge).
skill of being sly or deceitful
- Bulgarian: коварство (bg) (kovarstvo), лукавство (bg) n (lukavstvo)
- Chukchi: гыттагыргын (gyttagyrgyn)
- Dutch: sluwheid (nl)
- Esperanto: ruza (eo)
- Finnish: oveluus (fi), kierous (fi)
- French: fourberie (fr) f, sournoiserie (fr) f
- German: Gerissenheit f
- Greek:
- Ancient Greek: πανοῦργος (panoûrgos)
- Italian: furberia (it) f, furbizia (it) f
- Japanese: 狡猾 (ja) (こうかつ, kōkatsu)
- Latin: versūtia f
- Macedonian: итрина f (itrina)
- Maori: rauhanga
- Middle English: sleighte
- Norwegian: snedighet m
- Polish: chytrość (pl) f, cwaniactwo (pl) n, przebiegłość (pl) f, spryt (pl) m
- Portuguese: ardil (pt) m, astúcia (pt) f, esperteza (pt) f
- Romanian: viclenie (ro) f
- Russian: кова́рство (ru) n (kovárstvo), хи́трость (ru) f (xítrostʹ)
- Spanish: ardid (es) m, astucia (es) f, cuquería f
- Swedish: list (sv), slughet (sv) c
- Telugu: కపటము (te) (kapaṭamu)
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