Definition

1. 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

1. the quality of being crafty
2. shrewdness as demonstrated by being skilled in deception