canny

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

He’s understood in Ireland as a canny political operator who led his boring center-right party, Fianna Fáil, back to power after a decade in the wilderness.

From Salon • Mar. 18, 2026

"Larijani is a true insider, a canny operator, familiar with how the system operates," Ali Vaez, the International Crisis Group's project director for Iran, said before the Middle East war began.

From Barron's • Mar. 17, 2026

Curran is often credited with having a canny mix of slower balls but he has largely kept his pace above 80mph in those crucial final stages.

From BBC • Feb. 19, 2026

“Wuthering Heights” is a satisfying listen as well as a canny solution to the problem of how to follow up a breakthrough record.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 17, 2026

“Ophelia, such a course would be vain and dangerous. Claudius is more canny that you know. For proof, I have important news from Hamlet.”

From "Ophelia" by Lisa Klein