skill employed in a shrewd or sly manner, as in deceiving; craftiness; guile. 2. adeptness in performance; dexterity: The weaver's hand lost its cunning. –adjective 3. showing or made with ingenuity. 4. artfully subtle or shrewd; crafty; sly. 5. Informal. charmingly cute or appealing: a cunning little baby. 6. Archaic. skillful; expert.
–verb 7. Obsolete. ppr. of
can 1 .
Origin:
1275–1325; (n.) ME; OE cunnung, equiv. to cunn(an) to know (see
can 1 ) + -ung
-ing 1 ; (adj., v.) ME, prp. of cunnan to know (see
can 1 ,
-ing 2 )
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Related forms:
cun⋅ning⋅ly, adverb
cun⋅ning⋅ness, noun