crafty
adjective
Synonyms
- artful
- beguiling
- cagey
- cagy
- cunning
- cute
- designing
- devious
- dodgy [chiefly British]
- foxy
- guileful
- scheming
- shrewd
- slick
- sly
- subtle
- tricky
- wily
Example Sentences
Lizz Schumer, Good Housekeeping, 10 Aug. 2022 How a crafty and courageous journalist smuggled the truth out of communist Yugoslavia. Wsj Books Staff, WSJ, 25 Mar. 2022 As a teenager, Ms. van Seenus was crafty and artistic, even sewing her own prom dress. New York Times, 9 Mar. 2022 Each country adds its own flair to the game — Italian and Spanish soccer are known for being skillful and fast-paced; Central American soccer is crafty and up-tempo; and German soccer is efficient and organized. Lauren Withrow, The Arizona Republic, 1 Mar. 2022 But Haniger’s crafty slide avoided the tag of Andres Gimenez, and only Trevor Stephan’s big effort allowed the Guards to wriggle out of a jam with Haniger at third representing the game-winning run. Joe Noga, cleveland, 27 Aug. 2022 Plus, its crafty blend of art and science makes learning even more fun. Karla Pope, Woman's Day, 25 Aug. 2022 Thanks to data from the Chandra X-ray Observatory and some crafty audio synthesis, scientists were able to create an audible version of the eerie drone manufactured by the black hole. Hunter Boyce, ajc, 22 Aug. 2022 As the war approaches the six month mark, Ukraine's supplies of many basic necessities are running low, leaving crafty Ukrainians to crowd source their way through a war that has no end in sight. Ed Flanagan, NBC News, 20 Aug. 2022 See More Word History
see craft entry 1
before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Phrases Containing crafty
Kids Definition
crafty
adjective
crafty
adjective
Synonyms & Similar Words
- cunning
- cute
- subtle
- wily
- artful
- deceptive
- dishonest
- slick
- fraudulent
- treacherous
- foxy
- shrewd
- designing
- devious
- scheming
- sly
- crooked
- tricky
- cagey
- guileful
- beguiling
- deceitful
- plotting
- dodgy
- shady
- calculating
- cagy
- sneaky
- slippery
- unscrupulous
- clandestine
- astute
- sharp
- covert
- knavish
- shifty
- underhanded
- undercover
- secret
- serpentine
- hypocritical
- glib
- circular
- oblique
- concealed
- insinuating
- facile
- underhand
- roundabout
- stealthy
- surreptitious
- Machiavellian
- backhanded
- circuitous
- furtive
- insincere
- two-faced
- smooth-tongued
- left-handed
- double-dealing
- mealy
- mealymouthed
- hugger-mugger
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- artless
- innocent
- guileless
- real
- honest
- obvious
- outspoken
- simple
- plain
- natural
- ingenuous
- public
- open
- unsophisticated
- sincere
- childlike
- straightforward
- forthright
- direct
- unpretentious
- impressionable
- candid
- unconcealed
- patent
- unaffected
- unworldly
- frank
- unvarnished
- undesigning
- unpretending
- simpleminded
- aboveboard
- plainspoken
- trusting
- unstudied
- trustful
- unforced
Synonym Chooser
Some common synonyms of crafty are artful, cunning, foxy, slick, sly, tricky, and wily. While all these words mean "attaining or seeking to attain one's ends by guileful or devious means," crafty implies cleverness and subtlety of method.
The words artful and crafty are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, artful implies indirectness in dealing and often connotes sophistication or cleverness.
While in some cases nearly identical to crafty, cunning suggests the inventive use of sometimes limited intelligence in overreaching or circumventing.
The words foxy and crafty can be used in similar contexts, but foxy implies a shrewd and wary craftiness usually involving devious dealing.
While the synonyms slick and crafty are close in meaning, slick emphasizes smoothness and guile.
The synonyms sly and crafty are sometimes interchangeable, but sly implies furtiveness, lack of candor, and skill in concealing one's aims and methods.
The meanings of tricky and crafty largely overlap; however, tricky is more likely to suggest shiftiness and unreliability than skill in deception and maneuvering.
Although the words wily and crafty have much in common, wily implies skill and deception in maneuvering.