Synonyms for wile
noun
trickery, deceit, cunning, stratagem, trick, chicanery, dishonesty, plot, ruse, hoax, deception, scheming, dodge, artifice, bunco*, humbug*, flimflam*, scam*, monkey business*, horseplay*.
Antonyms honesty*, frankness, sincerity. See syn. study at trick.trick.
See wile in American Heritage Dictionary 4 Synonyms
wile artifice trick ruse feint stratagem maneuver dodge
These nouns denote means for achieving an end by indirection or deviousness. Wile suggests deceiving and entrapping a victim by playing on his or her weak points: “He did not fail to see/His uncle's cunning wiles and treachery” (William Morris).
Artifice refers to something especially contrived to create a desired effect: “Should the public forgive artifices used to avoid military service?” (Godfrey Sperling).
Trick implies willful deception: “The … boys … had all sorts of tricks to prevent us from winning” (W.H. Hudson).
Ruse stresses the creation of a false impression: Your pretended deafness was a ruse to enable you to learn our plans, wasn't it?
Feint denotes a deceptive act calculated to distract attention from one's real purpose: One person bumped into me as a feint while the other stole my wallet.
Stratagem implies carefully planned deception used to achieve an objective: The manager used ruthless stratagems to win the promotion.
Maneuver often applies to a single strategic move: “To this day they always speak of that Reform Bill as if it had been a dishonest maneuver” (The Standard).
Dodge stresses shifty and ingenious deception: “‘It was all false, of course?’ ‘All, sir,’ replied Mr. Weller, ‘ … artful dodge’” (Charles Dickens).
See wile in Webster's New World Roget's A-Z Thesaurus II
noun
An indirect, usually cunning means of gaining an end:
artifice, deception, device, dodge, feint, gimmick, imposture, jig, maneuver, ploy, ruse, sleight, stratagem, subterfuge, trick. (Informal) shenanigan, take-in. See honest, means
verb
To pass (time) without working or in avoiding work.
Also used with away: dawdle (away), fiddle away, idle (away), kill1, trifle away, waste, while (away). See industrious
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