adj. 1. Marked by or given to artful subtlety and deceptiveness. 2. Executed with or exhibiting ingenuity. 3. Delicately pleasing; pretty or cute: a cunning pet. n. 1. Skill in deception; guile. 2. Skill or adeptness in execution or performance; dexterity. [Middle English, present participle of connen, to know, from Old English cunnan; see gnō- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.] cunning·ly adv. cunning·ness n. |
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