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craftiness

craftiness

1 5.8
A clever use of tricks to get what you want from others
  • noun
  • /ˈkræftɪnəs/
translation icon : astucia
  • She admired his craftiness in planning the surprise party without anyone finding out.

Examples

  • He's got a lot of craftiness, a lot of poise.

    Blog text (4)
  • Instead of making them yourself, you might consider getting the kids involved in the craftiness.

    Blog text (5)
  • I am lost at the instructions; it is not you; it is my lack of craftiness!

    Blog text (11)
  • This week, for Top Ten Tuesday, I wanted to feature my surprising craftiness.

    Blog text (26)
  • He smiled at his own craftiness.

    Fiction book (1990)
  • The game requires strategy, tactics, influencing other players, craftiness, and best of all, smack talk.

    Blog text (12)
  • Thankfully, for all that craftiness and determination, even drug dealers, for the most part, aren't geniuses.

    Blog text (13)
  • Fortunately, with my lack of sewing skills and craftiness, my 4-year-old does like the Disney princesses, Belle in particular.

    Blog text (3)
  • His craftiness helped him outsmart the competition and secure the deal.

  • The child's craftiness shone through when she cleverly avoided chores by pretending to be sick.

Synonyms

cunning
vscraftiness
28 4.5

The ability to get what you want by tricking people

includes clever skill to obtain aims, not limited to tricking alone
craft
vscraftiness
24 7.5

Skill in getting what you want by tricking people

is the broader quality of cleverness to get what one wants
guile
vscraftiness
11 7.8

Clever but dishonest way of acting that tricks people

is similar but emphasizes skill to gain goals, not only dishonesty
wiliness
vscraftiness
1 8.2

Skill at tricking people to get what you want

is about clever skill to get aims, often using deceit rather than only deceiving
slyness
vscraftiness
1 6.2

A quality of being clever and secretly using tricks to get what you want

is the general quality of getting what one wants, often by trickery
artfulness
vscraftiness
1 7.9

Clever ways of getting what you want by tricking people

focuses more on the aim of obtaining what one wants, often by trickery
cunningness
vscraftiness
6.8

Being clever at getting what you want by tricking others

covers clever skill to obtain wants, often but not only by evasion
foxiness
vscraftiness
7.9

Being clever and able to trick people

is the broader idea of clever skilled action, not only slyness
cautel
vscraftiness
  • Archaic
9.9

A clever and dishonest way of tricking people

emphasises the general clever pursuit of aims, frequently involving deceit
trickiness
vscraftiness
6.7

Being clever in a dishonest or deceptive way that is hard to guess

is narrower on achieving aims cleverly, while this adds difficult to handle

Antonyms

365 1.0

Being truthful and fair in what you say and do

How Crafty

duplicity
12 8.1
guile
11 7.8
cunning
28 4.5
craftiness
1 5.8
slyness
1 6.2

Surface Forms

craftiness singular
craftinesses plural

Morphology

craftiness = crafty (transparent) = craft + y + ness

Standard noun formation from the adjective 'crafty' indicating the quality/state of being crafty (sly or cunning).

Etymology

Craftiness comes from the old word craft, which meant 'skill' and is the same root as craftsman and handicraft. So craftiness is having skill used to get what you want, often by clever 'tricks', which explains its meaning of skill in trickery.