Adjective
a canny card player, good at psyching out his opponents
warm and canny under the woolen bedcovers, we didn't mind the chilly Scottish nights
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Adjective
The lower section featured a fanning hem in stiff and immaculately white fabric, resulting in a canny visual pun that translated the visual register of suiting onto a classic ballgown (and required a fleet of attendants to carry it onto the carpet unscathed).—Mahoro Seward, Vogue, 6 May 2025 But Moroney is canny enough to understand that country identity can be a selling point, even or especially to fans with other interests.—Kelefa Sanneh, New Yorker, 28 Apr. 2025 In Babygirl, the girlboss isn’t being vilified or even critiqued, but explored with a canny interest.—Angelica Jade Bastién, Vulture, 25 Apr. 2025 Much has been made of his Nikes, and the Church’s decision to display him this way has always struck me as a canny bit of image-making.—Emily Harnett, Harpers Magazine, 28 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for canny
Word History
Etymology
Adjective
originally Scots & regional northern English, going back to early Scots, "free from risk, sagacious, prudent, cautious," probably from can "ability" (noun derivative of cancan entry 1) + -y-y entry 1
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