guileful
1
8.9
- adjective
- /ˈɡaɪl.fəl/
- The detective realized that the suspect's guileful behavior was meant to distract from his involvement in the crime.
Examples
-
I trained thy brethren to that guileful hole... where the dead corpse of Bassianus lay.
-
Guileful and deceitful (denial and distrust).
Academic text (1999) -
Rather, he is skilled in the black arts; a crafty, guileful, cunning, and cruel-hearted man who is the worst to contend against (55).
Academic text (1999) -
One illustrative newspaper piece, entitled "The Guileful and Aromatic Greaser," claimed that "the Mexican falls into the niche that God Almighty intended when he put on the impress of color."
Academic text (2001) -
The politician made a guileful speech to win the voters' support, using tactics that were both clever and misleading.
-
She often employs guileful strategies in her negotiations, making it difficult for others to see her true intentions.
Synonyms
128
2.5
Likely to lie or cheat to get something for yourself
109
4.7
Very smooth and attractive but not sincere or deep
60
4.9
Being clever in a secret way to trick others
58
5.1
Clever at getting things by tricking people
49
4.5
Good at using clever tricks to get what you want
49
6.4
Acting in a dishonest or tricky way to get what you want
31
5.0
Acting in a dishonest way to make people believe something untrue
19
6.9
Clever in a sly or secret way to hide what you really mean
19
4.5
Uses lies or clever plans to get what they want
18
6.9
A person or animal that uses clever tricks to get what they want
5
8.8
Clever in a dishonest way to trick people
4
8.4
A person who acts sneaky and dishonest to avoid clear answers
1
9.9
Acting in a way that tricks people to get what you want
1
9.1
Behaving in a sly way that tries to fool people
1
8.2
Being clever at secretly tricking people for personal gain
1
9.4
Showing one feeling while acting differently to trick people
1
9.9
Acting in a secret, sly way to try to trick people
Antonyms
How Deceptive
Surface Forms
Morphology
Etymology
The word guileful comes from guile, which means 'deceit' or a 'clever trick' and is like the familiar word wily. So a guileful person is skilled at tricking others and hiding their true plans.