Cunning
Cunning adjective - Clever at attaining one's ends by indirect and often deceptive means.
Usage example: a cunning, underhanded plan to win the election by preying on people's fears and prejudices
Plotting and cunning are semantically related. In some cases you can use "Plotting" instead an adjective "Cunning".
Nearby Word: cunningly
Mutual synonyms
Related pairs
Both words in one sentence
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Played straight in the season 1 finalé "Grant Unto Him Eternal Rest", where Ted and Dougal are unusually callous and cunning (the episode ends with them cheerfully plotting Father Jack's death, with Dougal actually picking up on the subtleties of the conversation).
Source: Out-of-Character Moment - A short while later, it's revealed that he's Captain Kuro, a cruel and cunning pirate captain who had faked his death three years prior, and since then had been plotting to kill said rich girl and steal her fortune for a quiet retirement.
Source: Evil All Along
Cite this Source
Plotting and Cunning. (2016). Retrieved 2026, August 14, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/cunning/plotting
Cunning & Plotting. N.p., 2016. Web. 14 Aug. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/cunning/plotting>.
Plotting or Cunning. 2016. Accessed August 14, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/cunning/plotting.
Google Ngram Viewer shows how "cunning" and "plotting" have occurred on timeline