craftiness
/'krɑ:ftinis/
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
- Noun:
- The quality of being crafty; cunning or slyness: The state or characteristic of being clever at achieving one's aims by indirect, deceptive, or underhanded means.
- Shrewdness in deception: Skillful intelligence demonstrated specifically in the art of deceit or trickery.
Usage
- craftiness is an uncountable noun. It describes a personal quality or trait.
- It is typically used in contexts involving strategy, manipulation, or deceit, often with a negative connotation.
- Common collocations: , , .
Examples
- The spy's success was due more to his craftiness than to brute force.
- She admired the craftiness of the plan, even though she knew it was dishonest.
- The fox in the fable is a symbol of animal craftiness.
Advanced Usage
- "The craftiness of...": Used to attribute cunning behavior to a specific person, group, or entity.
- History books often detail the craftiness of certain military generals.
- "A touch of craftiness": Implies a small but significant amount of cunning.
- To succeed in that business, you need a touch of craftiness.
Variants and Related Words
- Crafty (adj): Skilled at achieving one's ends by deceit or evasion.
- He was a crafty negotiator.
- Craft (n, in an archaic sense): Skill in deception or guile. (Note: This sense is less common than the modern meaning of "skill in making things by hand").
- Cunning (n): Skill in achieving one's ends by deceit. (A close synonym).
Synonyms
- Guile: Sly or cunning intelligence used to deceive.
- Slyness: Having or showing a cunning and deceitful nature.
- Wiliness: Full of clever tricks; cunning.
- Deviousness: Not straightforward; shifty or deceitful.
- Artfulness: Clever or skillful, often in a cunning way.
Antonyms
- Honesty: The quality of being truthful and straightforward.
- Guilelessness: The quality of being innocent and without deception.
- Naivety: Lack of experience, wisdom, or judgment, often implying a trusting nature.
- Candor: The quality of being open and honest in expression; frankness.
Idioms and Phrases
- "Low craftiness": Describes a mean, petty, or dishonorable form of cunning.
- The scheme was not clever strategy but mere low craftiness.
- While not a phrasal verb, the adjective crafty is used in the idiom "as crafty as a fox", which directly relates to the concept of craftiness.
- Be careful when dealing with him; he's as crafty as a fox.
Noun
- the quality of being crafty
- shrewdness as demonstrated by being skilled in deception