foxiness

noun

Definition of foxinessnext
1
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
2
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
3
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
  1. cunning
  2. deceptiveness
  3. intelligence
  4. subtlety
  5. deception
  6. wit
  7. artfulness
  8. deceit
Noun
  • Honest Abe is forced to scheme, relying on grit and cunning to win the votes to abolish slavery.
    — Kevin P. Sullivan, Entertainment Weekly, 26 June 2026
  • Unable to outrun the Bitchfist, the Hand earns his reputation for cunning and courage.
    — Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 22 June 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
  • Bobbi Queen, a former senior fashion editor at WWD who was known for her intelligence, wit and sense of style, died Thursday at her New York apartment at the age of 84.
    — Lisa Lockwood, Footwear News, 6 July 2026
  • Autonomy with human oversight Artificial intelligence handles much of CobraJet’s flight through an autonomous autopilot supported by electro-optical and infrared cameras.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 6 July 2026
Definition of intelligence
Noun
  • The subtlety here is that financial stress is rarely just about money.
    — Dr. Erika Rasure, Forbes.com, 26 June 2026
  • Versace isn't one of the world's most famous fashion houses thanks to its subtlety, and the brand's swimsuits are just as bright, bold, and daring as its couture and ready-to-wear collections.
    — Daisy Maldonado, InStyle, 24 June 2026
Definition of subtlety
Noun
  • Guo was convicted of nine of 12 criminal charges during a seven-week trial that prosecutors said showcased his deception of thousands of investors in bogus deals that enabled Guo’s lavish lifestyle.
    — CNN Money, CNN Money, 30 June 2026
  • By the time the deception was uncovered, the employee had authorized $25 million in transfers.
    — Kevin Pierce, Forbes.com, 29 June 2026
Definition of deception
Noun
  • To be sure, Maher’s ready wit and spontaneous repartee as a talk show host were central themes for the parade of chums who praised the honoree.
    — Paul Harris, Variety, 29 June 2026
  • Jade stalked Chelsea, but Charlotte Flair interfered and hit Cargill wit the belt.
    — Alfred Konuwa, Forbes.com, 27 June 2026
Definition of wit
Noun
  • All of this shone vividly through his work, which shared his joy, artfulness and deep feeling, and most of all privileged human experience and social interaction.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 18 June 2026
  • Mike Bowman, designer, furniture industry expert, and director of marketing for Harmonia Living, says this trend relies on furnishings to bring artfulness to a space—rather than just functionality.
    — Patricia Shannon, Better Homes & Gardens, 10 Jan. 2026
Definition of artfulness
Noun
  • The original trial was found to be invalid due to fraud and deceit.
    — USA Today, USA Today, 24 June 2026
  • And with that comes deceit and manipulation.
    — Stephanie Nolasco, FOXNews.com, 18 June 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

“Foxiness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/foxiness. Accessed 8 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of gambol

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

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

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

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
hangman letters and game
Hangman Lightning Round Figure out which word fits in the blanks.
See All