FOXINESS Synonyms: 167 Similar and Opposite Words

foxiness

noun

Definition of foxiness

as in cunning

skill in achieving one's ends through indirect, subtle, or underhanded means it did not take an incredible amount of foxiness on his part to get you to spill the beans

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

as in deceptiveness

the inclination or practice of misleading others through lies or trickery an imposter of such formidable foxiness that a movie was made of his entertaining escapades

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in intelligence

exceptional discernment and judgment especially in practical matters lacks the foxiness needed to make it in dog-eat-dog world of show business

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for foxiness

Noun

Lethally charming and a natural chameleon, Conal uses social cunning and ruthlessness to get the job done and always gets a thrill out of completing a mission.

— Matt Grobar, Deadline, 22 Oct. 2026
Since the second Inauguration, the Trumps and their satraps have operated with all the commercial cunning of the Corleone family; the White House is their front, their Genco Pura Olive Oil Company.

— David Remnick, New Yorker, 11 Oct. 2026

Definition of cunning

Noun

Of course, the retort is that this would be irritating and exasperating to be continually deluged with alerts about AI deceptiveness.

— Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 24 Aug. 2025
Beyond the deceptiveness of the narrow material view, spiritual light and hope are always present to be found and felt.

— Sue Brightman, Christian Science Monitor, 3 Jan. 2025

Definition of deceptiveness

Noun

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, meanwhile, repeated his warning Sunday that Iran or its proxies could launch an attack before the election to disrupt the vote, citing intelligence.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 27 Oct. 2026
What readers are saying The comments discuss a case involving a person who sent letters containing a suspicious substance, with many commenters criticizing the individual's intelligence for including his return address.

— Violet Jira, Washington Post, 26 Oct. 2026

Definition of intelligence

Noun

Debicki slips into the villain role with a nice subtlety that doesn’t hit us in the head with her evil plan to make The Fisherwoman regret ever conjuring up this dreamboat.

— Pete Hammond, Deadline, 22 Oct. 2026
The Concept 7 Protection’s subtlety is a result of it being designed to provide security while moving quietly through the regular world, as opposed to an active war zone.

— Bryan Hood, Robb Report, 14 Oct. 2026

Definition of subtlety

Noun

The investigation also found that men from 29 countries were recruited through deception or coercion to fight for Russian forces, in violation of international law.

— Edith M. Lederer, Los Angeles Times, 27 Oct. 2026
But the movie’s most disturbing sequence takes the deception a lot further.

— Maxwell Adler, Vanity Fair, 27 Oct. 2026

Definition of deception

Noun

Maybe not laugh-out-loud humor, though that’s there, but other forms of humor like wit, deadpan, understatement, exaggeration, recognition, irony.

— Cressida Leyshon, New Yorker, 25 Oct. 2026
Naturally, Roan brought her signature candor and wit to the performance, joking around with fans in the audience.

— Nicole Fell, HollywoodReporter, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of wit

Noun

The term seems to imply a mastery of all the resources of a form, displayed in a surprising context without self-conscious artfulness.

— Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 7 Sep. 2026
No need to get bogged down in questions about provenance, artfulness, long-form storytelling, or even metaphors.

— Robin Givhan, Vanity Fair, 19 Aug. 2026

Definition of artfulness

Noun

The best way Ray can think of to do so is to tail her shady husband, Dom (Bobby Cannavale) — all the way into a sordid (but still vaguely family-friendly) web of deceit, murder, blackmail and gangland drama.

— Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 10 Oct. 2026
These rosy reveries gradually darken as Wilde remembers succumbing to hedonism, deceit, debt, and disgrace.

— Hannah Aizenman, New Yorker, 10 Oct. 2026

Definition of deceit

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Browse Nearby Words

foxholes

foxiness

foxing

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Foxiness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/foxiness. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of foxiness

noun

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

grotesque

Popular in Grammar & Usage

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Popular in Wordplay

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'

'Za' and 9 Other Words to Help You Win at SCRABBLE

Popular

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Games & Quizzes