crafty

Adjective

crafty (comparative craftier, superlative craftiest)

1. Skillful at deceiving others.
   • 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
   • According to The State and Revolution, only an ignoramus or a crafty bourgeois could suggest that the workers are incapable of directly and collectively managing industry, the state, and the administration.1978 [1976], Leszek Kołakowski, translated by P[aul] S[teven] Falla, Main Currents of Marxism, volume II: The Golden Age, Oxford: Clarendon Press, translation of Główne nurty marksizmu: rozwój (in...

   Synonyms:

   cunning, wily

2. Sneaky; surreptitious.
   • I took a crafty look at his hand of cards while he was out of the room.
3. Relating to, or characterized by, craft or skill; dexterous, clever.
   • 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
   • Can you envision a future Christmas where you print all your gifts instead of shop for them? It could soon be reality in even the most tech-averse household, and it might just end up saving the craftier among us lots of time and money. Why buy a $50 vase when you can print one for $2?2013 September 3, Brit Morin, “13 ways to decorate with 3-D style”, in CNN
4. (dated) Magical or occult, or allegedly so.
   • a crafty science