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Ingenious vs Cunning - What's the difference?

ingenious | cunning |

As adjectives the difference between ingenious and cunning

is that ingenious is displaying genius or brilliance; tending to invent while cunning is sly; crafty; clever in surreptitious behaviour.

As a noun cunning is

knowledge; learning; special knowledge (sometimes implying occult or magical knowledge).

ingenious

English

Alternative forms

* engenious

Adjective

(en adjective)
  • Displaying genius or brilliance; tending to invent.
    • This fellow is ingenious ; he fixed a problem I didn't even know I had.
  • Characterized by genius; cleverly done or contrived.
    • That is an ingenious model of the atom.
  • Witty; original; shrewd; adroit; keen; sagacious.
    • He sent me an ingenious reply for an email.

    Usage notes

    Do not confuse with ingenuous.

    Synonyms

    * See also * See also

    Related terms

    * engine * engineer * genius * ingeniosity * ingeniousness

    References

    * *

    cunning

    English

    Etymology 1

    From (etyl) cunning, kunning, konnyng, alteration of earlier (etyl) cunninde, kunnende, cunnand, from (etyl) cunnende, present participle of . More at (l), (l).

    Adjective

    (en adjective)
  • Sly; crafty; clever in surreptitious behaviour.
  • * South
    • They are resolved to be cunning ; let others run the hazard of being sincere.
  • (obsolete) Skillful, artful.
  • * Bible, Genesis xxv. 27
    • Esau was a cunning hunter.
  • * Bible, Exodus xxxviii. 23
    • a cunning workman
  • * Shakespeare
    • ''Tis beauty truly blent, whose red and white / Nature's own sweet and cunning hand laid on.
  • (obsolete) Wrought with, or exibiting, skill or ingenuity; ingenious.
    • cunning work
  • * Spenser
    • Over them Arachne high did lift / Her cunning web.
  • (US, colloquial, rare) Cute, appealing.
    • a cunning little boy
    (Bartlett)
    Synonyms
    * See also

    Etymology 2

    From (etyl) cunning, kunnyng, partially from (etyl) *.

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • (obsolete) Knowledge; learning; special knowledge (sometimes implying occult or magical knowledge).
  • Practical knowledge or experience; aptitude in performance; skill, proficiency; dexterity.
  • * 2005 , .
    • indeed at this very moment he's slipped away with the utmost cunning into a form that's most perplexing to investigate.
  • Practical skill employed in a secret or crafty manner; craft; artifice; skillful deceit.
  • The disposition to employ one's skill in an artful manner; craftiness; guile; artifice; skill of being cunning, sly, conniving, or deceitful.
  • The natural wit or instincts of an animal.
    • the cunning of the fox or hare
    Synonyms
    * (l) * (l) * (l)