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foxiness

foxiness

7.9
Being clever and able to trick people
  • noun
  • /ˈfɑːksɪnəs/
translation icon : astucia
  • Her foxiness in negotiations allowed her to secure a better deal than anyone expected.

Examples

  • His foxiness was evident when he cleverly misled his opponents during the debate.

  • And I think of his foxiness, and I just can't help myself.

  • So, we recommend looking to your surroundings to amplify your natural foxiness.

    Blog text (17)
  • Or, to press another metaphor familiar to students of political thought: for all his foxiness, there is a rather stubborn hedgehog at work.

    Academic text (1992)
  • The detective admired the foxiness of the criminal's plan to evade capture.

Synonyms

cunning
vsfoxiness
28 4.5

The ability to get what you want by tricking people

is about sly cleverness with emphasis on being deceitful rather than just smart
craft
vsfoxiness
24 7.5

Skill in getting what you want by tricking people

is more about sly personal manner than general shrewdness
guile
vsfoxiness
11 7.8

Clever but dishonest way of acting that tricks people

is broader, emphasizing slyness as a character trait beyond single tricks
craftiness
vsfoxiness
1 5.8

A clever use of tricks to get what you want from others

is similar but highlights sly manner rather than general skill
sneakiness
vsfoxiness
1 6.0

Doing things quietly to trick people without them noticing

is broader, covering sly cleverness not only secret stealth
wiliness
vsfoxiness
1 8.2

Skill at tricking people to get what you want

is the same sly quality but less about planned skill and more about craft
slyness
vsfoxiness
1 6.2

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

is the overall quality of being clever and sly rather than just secretive
artfulness
vsfoxiness
1 7.9

Clever ways of getting what you want by tricking people

leans more toward sly personality and tricking others specifically
cunningness
vsfoxiness
6.8

Being clever at getting what you want by tricking others

stresses sly cleverness with added sense of being personally crafty
trickiness
vsfoxiness
6.7

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

focuses more narrowly on sly cleverness aimed at deception
roguishness
vsfoxiness
7.5

A playful habit of doing mischief or telling small lies that amuses people

is more seriously sly and meant to deceive rather than amuse

Antonyms

365 1.0

Being truthful and fair in what you say and do

7 6.1

Lack of experience or common sense that makes someone trust others easily

How Sly

foxiness
7.9
craftiness
1 5.8
shrewdness
2 6.3

Surface Forms

foxiness singular
foxinesses plural

Morphology

foxiness = foxy (transparent) = fox + iness + ness

The suffix '-ness' is transparently used to form a noun indicating the state or quality of being 'foxy'.

Etymology

The word foxiness comes from the animal fox, known in stories for being 'sly' and 'clever', and the ending -ness means 'the quality of'. So, foxiness is the 'quality' of being clever or tricky, often used when someone tries to 'trick' or fool other people.