Crafty Meaning
/ˈkɹæfti/Definition, CEFR level C1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
adjSkillful at deceiving others.
adjSneaky; surreptitious.
Sentence Examples
The Germans are very crafty.
He is more crafty than wise.
Crafty is the Lord, but malicious He is not.
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CEFR Practice Quiz
The ____ fox managed to steal the chicken without making any noise.
Word Origin & History
From Middle English crafty, crefty, craftiȝ, from Old English cræftiġ (“ingenious; skilful; crafty; cunning; virtuous; powerful”), from Proto-West Germanic *kraftag, *kraftīg, *kraftug, from Proto-Germanic *kraftugaz (“powerful”), equivalent to craft + -y. Cognate with Saterland Frisian kräftich, krääftig, West Frisian krêftich, Dutch krachtig, German Low German krachtig, German kräftig.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"For thy mouth uttereth thine iniquity, and thou choosest the tongue of the crafty."
— 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Job 15:5:
"Glaucon will play devil's advocate (358c-d, thereby showing himself craftier than Thrasymachus, who is so unsly as to declare himself a wolf, openly, before the sheep; […])"
— 2001, Michael Palmer, Masters and Slaves: Revisioned Essays in Political Philosophy:
"Together, with the help of the drunkard Haymitch (Woody Harrelson), the only District 12 citizen ever to win the Games, they challenge tributes that range from sadistic volunteers to crafty kids like the pint-sized Rue (Amandla Stenberg) to the truly helpless and soon-to-be-dead."
— 2012 March 22, Scott Tobias, “The Hunger Games”, in AV Club, archived from the original on 24 Mar 2012:
"Los Angeles would still be a piddling little town in a desert if it weren’t for Sierra snowmelt and city officials crafty enough to snooker eastern California farmers out of their water rights."
— 2023 August 6, Daniel Duane, “It’s August. Californians Are Still Skiing. Don’t Ask.”, in The New York Times:
"Make magazine, which celebrates “your right to tweak, hack and bend any technology to your own will,” has joined with the New York Hall of Science to gather more than 500 of the craftiest inventors, artists, technology enthusiasts, tinkerers and hobbyists to share their expertise."
— 2011 September 15, Rachel Lee Harris, “The World Maker Faire in Queens Draws Inventors”, in The New York Times:
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CEFR Practice Quiz
The ____ fox managed to steal the chicken without making any noise.