Explore Cunning through 10+ example sentences from English, with an explanation of the meaning and related words like cute or clever. Ideal for language learners, writers and word enthusiasts.
Cunning in a sentence
Related words
Cunning meaning
- Sly; crafty; clever in surreptitious behaviour.
- Skillful, artful.
- Wrought with, or exhibiting, skill or ingenuity; ingenious.
Synonyms of Cunning
Using Cunning
- The main meaning on this page is: Sly; crafty; clever in surreptitious behaviour. | Skillful, artful. | Wrought with, or exhibiting, skill or ingenuity; ingenious.
- Useful related words include: cute, clever, artful, wily.
- In the example corpus, cunning often appears in combinations such as: cunning and, and cunning, the cunning.
Context around Cunning
- Average sentence length in these examples: 23.3 words
- Position in the sentence: 7 start, 8 middle, 5 end
- Sentence types: 20 statements, 0 questions, 0 exclamations
Corpus analysis for Cunning
- In this selection, "cunning" usually appears in the middle of the sentence. The average example has 23.3 words, and this corpus slice is mostly made up of statements.
- Around the word, imprudence, strategic, devising, way, lies and hong stand out and add context to how "cunning" is used.
- Recognizable usage signals include an extremely cunning way to and an impressively cunning way to. That gives this page its own corpus information beyond isolated example sentences.
- By corpus frequency, "cunning" sits close to words such as adrift, agm and argyll, which helps place it inside the broader word index.
Example types with cunning
The same corpus examples are grouped by length and sentence type, making it easier to see the contexts in which the word appears:
And the mechanics of the deal itself show tactical and strategic cunning. (12 words)
Burch holds his own against Ryan, trading speed and cunning for size. (12 words)
Except he didn't think his cunning plan all the way through. (12 words)
Kylo Ren is one of the best gifts that the Star Wars sequel trilogy gave us, as this issue allows the villain to showcase his cunning tactics and intimidation techniques, not only on his targets but also on Hux. (39 words)
PVP player has shown off an impressively cunning way to use Death Blight against unsuspecting foes., like most “SoulsBorne” titles, has an intensely competitive PVP scene, where tactics such as this can make or break a fight. (37 words)
Gavi and Raphinha both mishit efforts from point blank range in the space of a few seconds that should have put the game out of reach, before Ter Stegen palmed away Griezmann’s cunning flick. (35 words)
Example sentences (20)
Prudence versus imprudence, cunning and false prudence In Christian understanding, the difference between prudence and cunning lies in the intent with which the decision of the context of an action is made.
And the mechanics of the deal itself show tactical and strategic cunning.
At the center of it all, as always, is the suave and cunning Hong Chao (Hoon Lee), ’s Al Swearengen and one of modern TV’s most fascinating characters.
Burch holds his own against Ryan, trading speed and cunning for size.
Except he didn't think his cunning plan all the way through.
Fans got to see The Governor at his most cunning and manipulative.
From building innovative modes of transport to whisk Link across the vast landscapes of Hyrule to devising cunning traps that ensnare unsuspecting enemies, these tools offer unlimited scope for creativity.
Gavi and Raphinha both mishit efforts from point blank range in the space of a few seconds that should have put the game out of reach, before Ter Stegen palmed away Griezmann’s cunning flick.
Given his ambition and his cunning, also his propensity to lie to achieve his ends, he probably would have fit in well there.
He's cunning, powerful, ruthless, and disturbingly secretive, all traits of an incredible antagonist.
He was also known for his shape-shifting tricks and cunning mind as the god of mischief.
His prowess in battle lies not in intricate planning and cunning intellect, but in sheer ferocity and brutality.
Howard, in his desperation to regain power and with the centre-right now occupied by Keating, took over Pauline Hanson’s racist bleatings, and he was much more cunning about it.
However, cunning Alcibiades offered them to return with the fleet and be tried immediately so that he could clear his name.
In 2022, then Glasgow Labour leader Malcolm Cunning said the idea his party were solely to blame for the hefty bill to come from the equal pay dispute was “a false characterisation of what happened”.
It's called a "Money Received" scam, and it's an extremely cunning way to part iPhone and Android users from their cash.
Kylo Ren is one of the best gifts that the Star Wars sequel trilogy gave us, as this issue allows the villain to showcase his cunning tactics and intimidation techniques, not only on his targets but also on Hux.
Medusa is a cunning and manipulative character who is willing to go to any lengths to achieve her goals.
PVP player has shown off an impressively cunning way to use Death Blight against unsuspecting foes., like most “SoulsBorne” titles, has an intensely competitive PVP scene, where tactics such as this can make or break a fight.
Riko can be quite cunning and resourceful, especially when fighting with her sister over Keita.
Common combinations with cunning
These word pairs occur most frequently in English texts:
- cunning and 33×
- and cunning 31×
- the cunning 17×
- his cunning 14×
- cunning plan 7×
- is cunning 5×
- of cunning 5×
- as cunning 4×
- was cunning 4×
- very cunning 4×