CRAFTINESS Synonyms: 115 Similar and Opposite Words

craftiness

noun

Definition of craftiness

as in cunning

skill in achieving one's ends through indirect, subtle, or underhanded means other antique dealers envied her for her craftiness in getting people to sell their treasures for a song

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

as in deception

the inclination or practice of misleading others through lies or trickery according to the confidence man's credo of craftiness, "There's a sucker born every minute"

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for craftiness

Noun

Since the second Inauguration, the Trumps and their satraps have operated with all the commercial cunning of the Corleone family; the White House is their front, their Genco Pura Olive Oil Company.

— David Remnick, New Yorker, 11 Oct. 2026
Rhaenyra also dismisses Mysaria, a wise move carried out in a very unwise manner, given the woman’s cunning.

— Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2026

Definition of cunning

Noun

Hosted by Alan Cumming, the social deduction game follows a group of contestants (who are sometimes celebrities) engaging in a Mafia or Werewolf-style game of deception.

— Ethan Shanfeld, Variety, 13 Oct. 2026
With shifting alliances and deception, only the most calculating player will survive to win it all, per the logline.

— Peter White, Deadline, 13 Oct. 2026

Definition of deception

Noun

The term seems to imply a mastery of all the resources of a form, displayed in a surprising context without self-conscious artfulness.

— Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 7 Sep. 2026
No need to get bogged down in questions about provenance, artfulness, long-form storytelling, or even metaphors.

— Robin Givhan, Vanity Fair, 19 Aug. 2026

Definition of artfulness

Noun

The best way Ray can think of to do so is to tail her shady husband, Dom (Bobby Cannavale) — all the way into a sordid (but still vaguely family-friendly) web of deceit, murder, blackmail and gangland drama.

— Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 10 Oct. 2026
These rosy reveries gradually darken as Wilde remembers succumbing to hedonism, deceit, debt, and disgrace.

— Hannah Aizenman, New Yorker, 10 Oct. 2026

Definition of deceit

Noun

My view is that Newcastle required an out-and-out No 10 or a player with real guile who could partly compensate for the loss of Bruno Guimaraes, and arguably there is a lack of creativity and technical ingenuity in the final third.

— Chris Waugh, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2026
In some ways, that depends on whether the agent eventually learns guile, and social gamesmanship, or not.

— John Werner, Forbes.com, 21 July 2026

Definition of guile

Noun

Of course, the retort is that this would be irritating and exasperating to be continually deluged with alerts about AI deceptiveness.

— Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 24 Aug. 2025
Beyond the deceptiveness of the narrow material view, spiritual light and hope are always present to be found and felt.

— Sue Brightman, Christian Science Monitor, 3 Jan. 2025

Definition of deceptiveness

Noun

At the Homo Faber craft festival in Venice this past September, one such work—its mouth opening up like a blooming flower—had onlookers resisting the urge to touch it.

— Hannah Martin, Architectural Digest, 13 Oct. 2026
Through the triumphs and missteps of these previous craft, NASA learned how to better explore another planet with a rover operated from millions of miles away.

— Chelsea Gohd, Space.com, 13 Oct. 2026

Definition of craft

Noun

Antisocial personality includes a persistent pattern of traits such as callousness, lack of concern, deceitfulness, and irresponsibility, Ryan said.

— Harriet Ramos, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 29 Apr. 2026
Perfidy — from the French perfidie via the Latin perfidia — means deceitfulness, treachery or a breach of faith or promise.

— Harmeet Kaur, CNN Money, 21 Jan. 2026

Definition of deceitfulness

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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craftily

craftiness

crafting

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“Craftiness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/craftiness. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of craftiness

noun

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