cunningly
In crafty fashion
Cunningly means in a clever, crafty, or sly manner—often implying skill at deception or manipulation: She cunningly deflected every question about her past.
It can also suggest ingenious design without negative connotation: The puzzle was cunningly constructed.
The word carries a whiff of foxlike shrewdness, whether admired or distrusted.
In a lying manner
- duplicitouslyWith deliberate dishonesty
- dishonestlyIn an untruthful manner
- fraudulentlyThrough intentional dishonesty
- misleadinglyIn a deceiving way
falsely · treacherously · disingenuously · untruthfully · trickily · underhandedly · insidiously · perfidiously
In a covert manner
- furtivelyIn a secretive manner
- covertlyDone without detection
- secretivelyIn concealed fashion
- surreptitiouslyIn a hidden manner
sneakily · cagily · evasively · shiftily · foxily · wilily · slickly · subtly
Crafty and calculating
- calculatingColdly self-serving in strategy
- plottingDevising a secret plan
- maneuveringSkillful directional control
- machinatingPlotting with harmful intent
contriving · orchestrating · engineering · masterminding · exploitatively · coercively · insidiously · subversively
With inventive skill
- brilliantlyWith remarkable excellence
- skillfullyWith practiced competence
- expertlyWith high proficiency
- masterfullyWith exceptional proficiency
adroitly · resourcefully · creatively · innovatively · artfully · deftly · nimbly · adeptly
deceitfully
In a lying manner
- duplicitouslyWith deliberate dishonesty
- dishonestlyIn an untruthful manner
- fraudulentlyThrough intentional dishonesty
misleadingly · falsely · treacherously · disingenuously · untruthfully · trickily · underhandedly · insidiously · perfidiously · guilefully
stealthily
In a covert manner
- furtivelyIn a secretive manner
- covertlyDone without detection
- secretivelyIn concealed fashion
surreptitiously · sneakily · cagily · evasively · shiftily · foxily · wilily · slickly · subtly · quietly
scheming
Crafty and calculating
- calculatingColdly self-serving in strategy
- plottingDevising a secret plan
- maneuveringSkillful directional control
machinating · contriving · orchestrating · engineering · masterminding · exploitatively · coercively · insidiously · subversively · deviously
ingeniously
With inventive skill
- brilliantlyWith remarkable excellence
- skillfullyWith practiced competence
- expertlyWith high proficiency
masterfully · adroitly · resourcefully · creatively · innovatively · artfully · deftly · nimbly · adeptly · proficiently
- shady adverbsdishonestly, deceitfully, deceptively, fraudulently, sneakily
cunninglyhonestly
In a truthful manner
straightforwardly · guilelessly · sincerely · candidly · openly
cunninglyineptly
Lacking competence or grace
clumsily · bunglingly · incompetently · awkwardly · ham-fistedly
cunninglysimply
In plain terms
unsophisticatedly · obtusely · naively · directly · innocently
- cunning foxCrafty vulpine creature
- cunning folkTraditional rural magic workers
- cunning womanTraditional female magic practitioner