cunning

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 was the runner-up in 2022, armed with the cunning plan of writing a good song – the 70s glam rock pastiche Space Man – and being good at performing it.

From BBC • May 17, 2026

"King George, as you know, never set foot in America. And please rest assured, ladies and gentlemen, I am not here as part of some cunning rearguard action."

From Barron's • Apr. 29, 2026

As Simon Elliott describes in his biography “The African Emperor,” Severus was a mercurial and contradictory character, capable by turns of savagery, cunning, wit and generosity, and always blessed with a sense of the theatrical.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 19, 2026

As Thia tries to complete the mission she failed alongside her synthetic sister, Fanning relishes the chance to play the far more violent and cunning counterpart, Tessa.

From Salon • Jan. 24, 2026

"This defendant acted with the thought and cunning of an adult! Consequently he is to be sentenced as an adult. Without exception this precocious young man has long since outgrown his youth."

From "The Boy Who Dared" by Susan Campbell Bartoletti