Sly synonyms

slī

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Part of speech:

delusive
Having the nature of a delusion; false:
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subtle
(Archaic) Characterized by skill or ingenuity; clever.
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deceiving
Crafty
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tricky
Adept at using deception
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insidious
(Nonstandard) Treacherous.
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designing
Conniving; crafty.
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cunning
(US, colloquial, rare) Cute, appealing.
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smooth
The definition of smooth is even, flat and not rough.
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shifty
Distinguished by frequent changes in direction:
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artful
Cunning; disposed to cunning indirectness of dealing; crafty; as, an artful boy. [The usual sense.]
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shrewd
The definition of shrewd is sharp or intelligent with practical concerns.
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deceitful
Tending to deceive; apt to lie or cheat
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guileful
Full of guile; deceitfully or treacherously cunning.
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scheming
(Pejorative) Tending to scheme.
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captious
Marked by a disposition to find and point out trivial faults:
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intriguing
Exciting interest or curiosity; fascinating
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unscrupulous
Not scrupulous; not restrained by ideas of right and wrong; unprincipled
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deceptive
Deceiving or intended to deceive
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conniving
That connives; conspiratorial
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calculating
(Especially of a robot) Which has the ability to calculate.
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illusory
Deceptive or insubstantial.
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bluffing
Crafty
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dissembling
Crafty
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dishonest
Not honest; lying, cheating, etc.
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mealy-mouthed
Prone to speaking evasively, indirectly, or duplicitously; not forthright
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treacherous
Characterized by unforeseen or hidden hazards; dangerous or deceptive:
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underhanded
The definition of underhanded is sneaky or deceitful.
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sneaking
Cowardly, stealthy, underhanded, or furtive
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double-dealing
Duplicitous or deceitful; treacherous.
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faithless
Not believing in God, religion, or a comparable ideology.
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traitorous
Of or involving treason; treasonable
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sharp
Out of tune by being above the true or proper pitch
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smart
Energetic or quick in movement:
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ingenious
The definition of ingenious is clever and inventive, or someone who is smart, clever or original.
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canny
The definition of canny is someone shrewd, clever or careful with money.
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dishonorable
Characterized by or causing dishonor or discredit.
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crooked
(Figuratively) Dishonest or illegal; corrupt.
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mean
(Slang) Hard to cope with; difficult or troublesome:
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dirty
Producing much fallout
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ratty
(Colloquial) In poor condition or repair; worn out; battered; tattered; torn.
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double-crossing
Crafty
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slick
The definition of slick is something glossy, smooth, slippery or oily.
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slippery
Of a surface, having low friction, often due to being covered in a non-viscous liquid, and therefore hard to grip, hard to stand on without falling, etc.
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shady
Of dubious character, morality, or legality; questionable:
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clever
Exhibiting ingenuity or imagination; creative or artful:
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astute
Having or showing shrewdness and discernment, especially with respect to one's own concerns.
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furtive
Done or acting in a stealthy manner, as if to hinder observation; surreptitious; stealthy; sneaky
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evasive
Hard to catch, grasp, etc.; elusive
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stealthy
The definition of stealthy is a person or thing that is quiet and secretive.
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honest (antonym)
In good faith; without malice.
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fair (antonym)
Light in color, especially blond:
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just (antonym)
The definition of just is fair or right.
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intelligent (related)
Capable of some independent functioning because equipped with a microprocessor or computer
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secret (related)
Operating in a hidden or confidential manner:
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secretive (related)
Tending to conceal one's thoughts, feelings, affairs, etc. from others; reticent; not frank or open
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arch
1906, O. Henry, By Courier
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cautious
Full of caution; careful to avoid danger; circumspect; wary
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clandestine
(Freemasonry, of a person or lodge) Not recognized as a regular member.
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covert
Not openly practiced, avowed, engaged in, accumulated, or shown:
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crafty
The definition of crafty is someone who is sly, clever and deceitful at achieving some goal, or someone or something related to making creative objects.
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devious
The definition of devious is someone or something that is not straightforward or deviates from the usual course of action.
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diplomatic
Designating or of a copy or edition exactly reproducing an original document or manuscript
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duplicitous
Given to or marked by deliberate deceptiveness in behavior or speech.
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foxy
Having a distinctive sharp flavor or aroma:
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knowing
Suggestive of secret or private knowledge:
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mischievous
The definition of mischievous is someone or something that causes harm or likes to play and annoy with tricks.
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nimble
(Rare) Showing mental quickness
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serpentine
Subtly sly and tempting.
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sinuous
Bending, winding, or curving in and out; wavy; serpentine
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skillful
The definition of skillful is someone or something that shows talent or adeptness.
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strategic
Essential to the effective conduct of war:
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surreptitious
Stealthy, furtive, well hidden, covert (especially movements).
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underhand
(Sports) Executed with the hand brought forward and up from below the level of the shoulder; underarm:
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wary
Wary is defined as watchful or cautious.
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weaselly
Devious; misleading; sneaky.
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wily
Full of wiles; cunning.
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insinuate
To insinuate is defined as to suggest or imply something but not come right out and say it.
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artless (antonym)
Having or displaying no guile or deceit; honest or sincere:
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unclever (antonym)
Not clever.
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straight (antonym)
Having no waves or bends:
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straightforward (antonym)
Moving or leading straight ahead; direct
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simple (antonym)
Easy to understand, do, or carry out:
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open (antonym)
Having constituent elements separated by a space in writing or printing:
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ability (related)
Deceitfully clever
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means (related)
Deceitfully clever
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knavish
Having the characteristics of a knave; mischievous, roguish, waggish, rascally or impertinent
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tricksy
Devious or deceptive.
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wisecrack (related)
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cheeky (related)
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droll (related)
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plotting
Crafty
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disingenuous
Not straightforward or candid; insincere or calculating:
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Synonym Study

  • Wily implies the deceiving or ensnarement of others by subtle stratagems and ruses wily blandishments
  • Foxy suggests slyness and craftiness that have been sharpened by experience a foxy old trader
  • Tricky suggests a shifty, unreliable quality rather than cleverness at deception tricky subterfuges
  • Crafty implies an artful cunning in contriving stratagems and subtle deceptions a crafty diplomat
  • Cunning implies a cleverness or shrewd skillfulness at deception and circumvention a cunning plot
  • Sly implies a working to achieve one's ends by evasiveness, insinuation, furtiveness, duplicity, etc. a sly bargain
Find another word for sly. In this page you can discover 97 synonyms, antonyms, idiomatic expressions, and related words for sly, like: delusive, subtle, sneaky, deceiving, tricky, insidious, designing, cunning, smooth, shifty and artful.
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Sly Sentence Examples

  • Cynthia asked with a sly smile.

  • His eyes too seemed strange; at one moment they looked impudently sly and at the next glanced round in alarm.

  • He developed four well-defined characters in the process - a country farmer, Ezekiel Biglow, and his son Hosea; the Rev. Homer Wilbur, a shrewd old-fashioned country minister; and Birdofredum Sawin, a Northern renegade who enters the army, together with one or two subordinate characters; and his stinging satire and sly humour are so set forth in the vernacular of New England as to give at once a historic dignity to this form of speech.

  • A footman, thinking no one saw him, was drinking on the sly what was left in the glasses.

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