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
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From Roget's 21st Century Thesaurus, Third Edition Copyright © 2013 by the Philip Lief Group.