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cunning

adjective
🔊/ˈkʌnɪŋ/
🔊/ˈkʌnɪŋ/
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  1. (disapproving) able to get what you want in a clever way, especially by tricking or cheating somebody狡猾的；奸诈的；诡诈的 synonym crafty, wily
    • a cunning liar花言巧语的骗子
    • He was as cunning as a fox.他像狐狸一样狡猾。🔊🔊
    • That cunning old rogue is up to something, I'm sure.我确信那个狡猾的老流氓在捣鬼。
    Topics Personal qualitiesc2
  2. clever and showing skill 灵巧的；精巧的；巧妙的synonym ingenious
    • It was a cunning piece of detective work.那是一篇构思巧妙的侦探作品。🔊🔊
    Topics Personal qualitiesc2
    3. Word OriginMiddle English: perhaps from Old Norse kunnandi ‘knowledge’, from kunna ‘know’ (related to can), or perhaps from Middle English cunne, an obsolete variant of can. The original sense was ‘(possessing) great academic knowledge or skill’ and had no implication of deceit; the sense ‘deceitfulness’ dates from late Middle English.

cunning

noun
🔊/ˈkʌnɪŋ/
🔊/ˈkʌnɪŋ/
 [uncountable]
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  1. the ability to achieve something by tricking or cheating other people in a clever way狡猾；诡诈；狡黠 synonym craftiness
    • It took energy and cunning just to survive.既要花力气又要有心计才能维持生存。🔊🔊
    • She used low cunning (= dishonest behaviour) to get what she wanted.她用了卑鄙的欺诈手段来获取她想得到的东西。🔊🔊
    Extra Examples
    • He had used cunning to get what he wanted.他用了狡诈的手段来得到他想要的东西。
    • She had great cunning and ruthlessness.她非常狡猾冷酷。
    • She managed him with great cunning.她十分狡猾地控制着他。
    • She relied on her native cunning to survive.她依赖天生的机灵活了下来。
    Topics Personal qualitiesc2
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective
    • great
    • devious
    • low
    • …
    verb + cunning
    • have
    • show
    • use
    • …
    preposition
    • with cunning
    See full entry
    Word OriginMiddle English: perhaps from Old Norse kunnandi ‘knowledge’, from kunna ‘know’ (related to can), or perhaps from Middle English cunne, an obsolete variant of can. The original sense was ‘(possessing) great academic knowledge or skill’ and had no implication of deceit; the sense ‘deceitfulness’ dates from late Middle English.