Synonyms for canny
- adjective
Synonyms by meaning
Adjective
1. Cautious — frugal, thrifty
cautious, prudent, careful, circumspect, wary, deliberate, thrifty, frugal, parsimonious, economical, economic, sparing, provident formal, chary, penny-pinching, calculating, discreet, guarded, heedful
Definitions
- adj. 1
Frugal, thrifty.
- adj. 2
Careful, prudent, cautious.
O! as thou art bonny, be prudent and canny,
Example sentences
- careful You should be careful in crossing the busy street.
- cautious Be cautious around the well, accidents can happen.
- prudent You should be prudent in deciding which way to go.
- circumspect I'm merely being a little more circumspect.
- clever The dog was so clever that he seemed almost human.
- shrewd I know that Tom is a very shrewd businessman.
Popularity over time
| Word | 1850 → 2019 | Trend |
|---|---|---|
| canny | rising | |
| careful | steady | |
| cautious | rising | |
| prudent | steady | |
| circumspect | rising | |
| clever | rising |
Use in printed books, per decade from 1850 to 2019.
By length
- 3 letters
- sly1
- 4 letters
- wary2
- 5 letters
- smart1, savvy2, cagey2, chary2
- 6 letters
- clever2, crafty2, frugal2, shrewd1, astute2
- 7 letters
- careful2, guarded2, cunning2, prudent2, sparing2, thrifty2, politic3, heedful
- 8 letters
- economic4, cautious2, discreet2
- 9 letters
- provident3
- 10 letters
- deliberate4, economical5
- 11 letters
- calculating4, circumspect3
- 12 letters
- parsimonious5
The small number after each word is its number of syllables (wary2 = 2 syllables).
In other languages
- Français
- dégourdi
- Deutsch
- aufgeweckt
- Català
- espavilat