canny
English · Thesaurus
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Written by a house AI from the entry below, in your language. The entry itself is the source.
canny¹
- /ˈkæni/
Sounds like kanny · Rhymes with -æni
Where it comes from
Northern English dialect, from can (“to know”) ( + -y), from Middle English can, first and third person singular of cunnen, connen (“to be able, know how to”), from Old English cunnan (“to know how to, be able to”). Compare Scots canny, English cunny, Old English cann (“knowledge, assertion”). More at can, cunning.
adjective cannier · canniest
- Careful, prudent, cautious. The politician gave a canny response to the reporter’s questions.
- Knowing, shrewd, astute. The canny lawyer knew just how to get what he wanted.
-
Frugal, thrifty.
canny investments
Similar: abstemious, canny, chary, moderate, cheap, close with a buck, economic, economical, frugal, provident, husbandly, huswifely
- Friendly, pleasant, fair, agreeable; (sometimes) funny. She’s a canny lass hor like!
- Gentle, quiet, steady. a canny horse
adverb
- Very, considerably; quite, rather. a canny long journey
- Gently, quietly; carefully, skilfully. he sits very canny
canny²
- /ˈkæni/
Sounds like kanny · Rhymes with -æni
Where it comes from
Back-formation from uncanny.
adjective cannier · canniest
- Natural, normal. I should have been glad to be assured that she prayed when on her knees, or read when that book was before her; I should have felt that she was more canny and human.
canny³
- /ˈkæni/
Sounds like kanny · Rhymes with -æni
Where it comes from
can (“more or less cylindrical metal container”) + -y
adjective
- Sounding as if it is coming through a tin can. The rear sounds sounded canny compared to the front ones. And you also have to adjust the volume so both pair of speakers are at the same level, […]
Canny⁴
proper noun Cannys
- A surname.
Translations
Every language
adj careful, prudent, cautious
| Español | cauteloso |
|---|---|
| Français | prudent |
| Deutsch | vorsichtig |
| Română | prudent |
| Русский | осмотрительный osmotritelʹnyj, осторо́жный ostoróžnyj |
adj knowing, shrewd, astute
| Español | astuto |
|---|---|
| Français | rusé, astucieux |
| Deutsch | schlau, pfiffig, verschmitzt |
| Română | cunoscător, priceput, experimentat |
Talk about this word "canny." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/canny. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. canny. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/canny "canny." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/canny.Cite this
@misc{canny_2026,
title = {canny},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/canny},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
