---
title: cunning — school dictionary · trees and pragmatics
description: «cunning» in the school dictionary: Cunning means clever at tricking people or getting what you want, often in a sly or dishonest way. Every meaning for a pupil with its dependency tree and pragmatics.
---

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# cunning

<!-- .vintro -->
**Who acts:** Cunning, you, cunning plan, skill, cunning fox, I · **What happens:** mean, trick, get, want, be, think out · **To what, where:** people, sly way, skill, cunning little puppy, crow, cheese

<!-- .vabout -->
«cunning» in the school dictionary: its 4 meanings for a pupil and its 7 examples, every sentence parsed by Mova itself — its syntax tree, a dependency tree in the style of Universal Dependencies, and its pragmatics clause by clause. The word in the dictionary, with its sense in the lessons: [cunning in the school dictionary](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/cunning.md).

## Meaning 1 {#m1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Cunning means clever at tricking people or getting what you want, often in a sly or dishonest way.

<!-- fold The tree, 18 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:cunning:m1:1
# text = Cunning means clever at tricking people or getting what you want, often in a sly or dishonest way.
1	Cunning	cunning	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	nsubj	_	_
2	means	mean	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	clever	clever	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	2	xcomp	_	_
4	at	at	SCONJ	IN	_	5	mark	_	_
5	tricking	trick	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	2	advcl	_	_
6	people	people	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	5	obj	_	_
7	or	or	CCONJ	CC	_	8	cc	_	_
8	getting	get	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	5	conj	_	_
9	what	what	PRON	WP	PronType=Int	11	obj	_	_
10	you	you	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Person=2|PronType=Prs	11	nsubj	_	_
11	want	want	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=2|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	8	ccomp	_	SpaceAfter=No
12	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	19	punct	_	_
13	often	often	ADV	RB	_	19	advmod	_	_
14	in	in	ADP	IN	_	19	case	_	_
15	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	19	det	_	_
16	sly	sly	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	19	amod	_	_
17	or	or	CCONJ	CC	_	18	cc	_	_
18	dishonest	dishonest	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	16	conj	_	_
19	way	way	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
20	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	2	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **mean** | present | Cunning |  |  |  |  | clever *property* | vn intend-61.2-1 «NP V S»: agent=Agent |
| 2 | **trick** | gerund | Cunning *not said here* | people |  | a sly way |  |  | vn trick-59.2 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent people=Patient |
| 3 | **get** | gerund | Cunning *not said here* |  |  |  |  |  | vn comprehend-87.2-1 «NP V how S\_INF»: agent=Experiencer clause=Stimulus |
| 4 | **want** | present | you |  |  |  |  |  | vn want-32.1-1-1 «NP V NP ADV»: agent=Pivot what=Theme |

<!-- .note -->
One row per clause the reader finds. «not said here»: a role filled from the clause above. «roles by»: a VerbNet class and frame when one fits the verb, else the reader's rules on the tree.

## Meaning 2 {#m2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
A cunning plan or idea is clever and well thought out.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:cunning:m2:1
# text = A cunning plan or idea is clever and well thought out.
1	A	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
2	cunning	cunning	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	3	amod	_	_
3	plan	plan	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	nsubj	_	_
4	or	or	CCONJ	CC	_	5	cc	_	_
5	idea	idea	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	conj	_	_
6	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	7	cop	_	_
7	clever	clever	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	0	root	_	_
8	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	10	cc	_	_
9	well	well	ADV	RB	Degree=Pos	10	advmod	_	_
10	thought	think	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	7	conj	_	_
11	out	out	ADP	RP	_	10	compound:prt	_	SpaceAfter=No
12	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	7	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is** | present | a cunning plan or idea |  |  |  |  | clever *property* | tree rules |
| 2 | **think out** *speech: other* | participle | a cunning plan or idea *not said here* |  |  |  |  | well *property* | vn focus-87.1-1 «NP V»: agent=Agent |

## Meaning 3 {#m3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Cunning (noun) is the skill of tricking or deceiving people.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:cunning:m3:1
# text = Cunning (noun) is the skill of tricking or deceiving people.
1	Cunning	cunning	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	nsubj	_	_
2	(	(	PUNCT	-LRB-	_	3	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
3	noun	noun	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	appos	_	SpaceAfter=No
4	)	)	PUNCT	-RRB-	_	3	punct	_	_
5	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	7	cop	_	_
6	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
7	skill	skill	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
8	of	of	SCONJ	IN	_	9	mark	_	_
9	tricking	trick	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	7	acl	_	_
10	or	or	CCONJ	CC	_	11	cc	_	_
11	deceiving	deceive	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	9	conj	_	_
12	people	people	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	11	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
13	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	7	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is a** | present | Cunning | the skill |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 2 | **trick** | gerund | the skill *not said here* |  |  |  |  |  | vn trick-59.2 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent |
| 3 | **deceive** | gerund | the skill *not said here* | people |  |  |  |  | vn trick-59.2 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent people=Patient |

## Meaning 4 {#m4}

<!-- .note -->
Usage: US, old informal — kept apart, not parsed.

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Cunning can mean cute: a cunning little puppy.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:cunning:m4:1
# text = Cunning can mean cute: a cunning little puppy.
1	Cunning	cunning	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nsubj	_	_
2	can	can	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	3	aux	_	_
3	mean	mean	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	0	root	_	_
4	cute	cute	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	3	xcomp	_	SpaceAfter=No
5	:	:	PUNCT	:	_	9	punct	_	_
6	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	9	det	_	_
7	cunning	cunning	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	9	amod	_	_
8	little	little	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	9	amod	_	_
9	puppy	puppy	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **mean** | can | Cunning | a cunning little puppy |  |  |  | cute *property* | vn intend-61.2-1 «NP V S»: agent=Agent |

## Example 1 {#x1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The cunning fox tricked the crow into dropping her cheese.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:cunning:x1:1
# text = The cunning fox tricked the crow into dropping her cheese.
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
2	cunning	cunning	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	compound	_	_
3	fox	fox	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nsubj	_	_
4	tricked	trick	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
5	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
6	crow	crow	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	obj	_	_
7	into	into	SCONJ	IN	_	8	mark	_	_
8	dropping	drop	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	4	advcl	_	_
9	her	her	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Fem|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	10	nmod:poss	_	_
10	cheese	cheese	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
11	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	4	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **trick** | past | the cunning fox | the crow |  |  |  |  | vn trick-59.2 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent crow=Patient |
| 2 | **drop** | gerund | the cunning fox *not said here* | fox's cheese |  |  |  |  | vn put\_direction-9.4 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent cheese=Theme |

## Example 2 {#x2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
I have a cunning plan to win the treasure hunt.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:cunning:x2:1
# text = I have a cunning plan to win the treasure hunt.
1	I	I	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Number=Sing|Person=1|PronType=Prs	2	nsubj	_	_
2	have	have	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=1|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
4	cunning	cunning	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	5	amod	_	_
5	plan	plan	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obj	_	_
6	to	to	PART	TO	_	7	mark	_	_
7	win	win	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	5	acl	_	_
8	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	10	det	_	_
9	treasure	treasure	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	10	compound	_	_
10	hunt	hunt	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
11	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	2	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **have** | present | I | a cunning plan |  |  |  |  | vn birth-28.2-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent plan=Patient |
| 2 | **win** | to-infinitive | I *not said here* | the treasure hunt |  |  |  |  | vn succeed-74-2 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent hunt=Eventuality |

## Example 3 {#x3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The thief used cunning to get past the guards.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:cunning:x3:1
# text = The thief used cunning to get past the guards.
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	thief	thief	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nsubj	_	_
3	used	use	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	cunning	cunning	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obj	_	_
5	to	to	PART	TO	_	6	mark	_	_
6	get	get	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	3	advcl	_	_
7	past	past	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
8	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	9	det	_	_
9	guards	guard	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	6	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **use** | past | the thief | cunning |  |  |  |  | vn eat-39.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent cunning=Patient |
| 2 | **get** | to-infinitive | the thief *not said here* |  |  | the guards |  |  | vn escape-51.1 «NP V PP.destination»: agent=Theme past guard=Destination |

## Example 4 {#x4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Odysseus was famous for his cunning in the Trojan horse story.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:cunning:x4:1
# text = Odysseus was famous for his cunning in the Trojan horse story.
1	Odysseus	Odysseus	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	3	nsubj	_	_
2	was	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	3	cop	_	_
3	famous	famous	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	0	root	_	_
4	for	for	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
5	his	his	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	6	nmod:poss	_	_
6	cunning	cunning	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obl	_	_
7	in	in	ADP	IN	_	11	case	_	_
8	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	11	det	_	_
9	Trojan	trojan	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	11	amod	_	_
10	horse	horse	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	11	compound	_	_
11	story	story	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
12	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is** | past | Odysseus |  |  |  |  | for Odysseus's cunning in the Trojan horse story; famous *property* | tree rules |

## Example 5 {#x5}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The cunning cat waited until we left the kitchen.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:cunning:x5:1
# text = The cunning cat waited until we left the kitchen.
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
2	cunning	cunning	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	compound	_	_
3	cat	cat	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nsubj	_	_
4	waited	wait	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
5	until	until	SCONJ	IN	_	7	mark	_	_
6	we	we	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Number=Plur|Person=1|PronType=Prs	7	nsubj	_	_
7	left	leave	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=1|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	4	advcl	_	_
8	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	9	det	_	_
9	kitchen	kitchen	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	4	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **wait** | past | the cunning cat |  |  |  |  |  | vn exist-47.1 «NP V»: agent=Theme |
| 2 | **leave** | past | we | the kitchen |  |  |  |  | vn keep-15.2 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent kitchen=Theme |

## Example 6 {#x6}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Scammers can be very cunning, so never share your password.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:cunning:x6:1
# text = Scammers can be very cunning, so never share your password.
1	Scammers	scammer	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	5	nsubj	_	_
2	can	can	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	5	aux	_	_
3	be	be	AUX	VB	VerbForm=Inf	5	cop	_	_
4	very	very	ADV	RB	_	5	advmod	_	_
5	cunning	cunning	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	0	root	_	SpaceAfter=No
6	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	9	punct	_	_
7	so	so	ADV	RB	_	9	advmod	_	_
8	never	never	ADV	RB	PronType=Neg	9	advmod	_	_
9	share	share	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	5	parataxis	_	_
10	your	your	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Person=2|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	11	nmod:poss	_	_
11	password	password	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	9	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
12	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	5	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is** | can | Scammers |  |  |  |  | cunning *property* | tree rules |
| 2 | **not** **share** | infinitive |  | your password |  |  |  |  | tree rules |

## Example 7 {#x7}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Common sense is always worth more than cunning.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:cunning:x7:1
# text = Common sense is always worth more than cunning.
1	Common	common	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	2	amod	_	_
2	sense	sense	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	nsubj	_	_
3	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	5	cop	_	_
4	always	always	ADV	RB	PronType=Tot	5	advmod	_	_
5	worth	worth	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	0	root	_	_
6	more	more	ADJ	JJR	Degree=Cmp	5	obj	_	_
7	than	than	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
8	cunning	cunning	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	5	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is** | present | Common sense |  |  |  |  | always, worth *property* | tree rules |

<!-- div src -->

**Text:** the school dictionary of Mova's schools (`world/data/dictionary-schools/`), written for Mova. **Trees:** Mova's own parse — the `en` model on the CPU, when the site is built — not checked by a teacher; they may be wrong. **Frames:** Mova's frames reader (`prag`), each meaning and example read on its own. Elamur Cosmic License.

<!-- /div -->

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