cunning vs operant

cunning

noun
  • 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. 

  • Practical knowledge or experience; aptitude in performance; skill, proficiency; dexterity. 

  • Practical skill employed in a secret or crafty manner; craft; artifice; skillful deceit; art or magic. 

adj
  • Sly; crafty; clever in surreptitious behaviour. 

operant

noun
  • An operative person or thing. 

  • Any of a class of behaviors that produce consequences by operating (i.e., acting) upon the environment. 

adj
  • That operates to produce an effect. 

How often have the words cunning and operant occurred in a corpus of books? (source: Google Ngram Viewer )