guile
11
7.8
- noun
- /ɡaɪl/
:
astucia
- His guile allowed him to persuade everyone that his plan was foolproof.
Examples
-
We need guile to draw out the necromancer.
-
The epic poet sang chiefly of the warrior's rage, guile, heroism, and suffering.
Academic text (2002) -
A man of considerable resource and guile, I assure you.
-
The wicked oppose God and His ways, depending rather on human guile, desires, and wealth.
Blog text (27) -
But she seemed immune, or she seemed to be steeling herself against my guile.
Fiction book (2002) -
Tony and Danny had the guile to immediately leap into the truck, where they could work shaded from the sun.
Fiction book (1999) -
It takes real guile to get that ingrate son of mine through those doors.
-
In a situation this tight, guile might get him farther than dueling with the dead alien's kinsmen.
Fiction book (1998) -
They are gentle, loving, faithful, lacking in all guile and trickery.
-
At the beginning of the 16th century a band of Spaniards succeeded by guile to conquer Mexico, subjugating a hundred thousand Aztec warriors and a people who possessed wealth quite sufficient to buy the world.
Synonyms
163
3.9
An action that makes someone believe something not true
66
4.6
Dishonest action meant to trick someone
53
7.7
A clever trick to deceive someone
28
4.5
The ability to get what you want by tricking people
27
4.9
To use dishonest ways to cheat people
24
7.5
Skill in getting what you want by tricking people
18
9.3
A trick used to cheat people, often to get their money
14
8.9
A trick used to deceive someone to get what you want
8
9.3
Tricks people use to deceive others to get money or advantage
3
9.9
Hiding your true feelings or intentions by pretending
2
7.0
Secret actions that are dishonest or unfair to get what you want
1
5.8
A clever use of tricks to get what you want from others
1
6.0
Doing things quietly to trick people without them noticing
1
8.7
Dishonest behaviour that aims to get money or other unfair personal gain
1
8.2
Skill at tricking people to get what you want
1
6.2
A quality of being clever and secretly using tricks to get what you want
1
7.2
A quality that makes something seem true when it is false
1
7.1
Dishonest or sneaky behaviour to get what you want
1
6.9
Dishonest behavior by a person or group
1
9.7
Dishonest words or actions that try to trick people
Being clever at getting what you want by tricking others
Being clever and able to trick people
Trickery to cheat people out of money
Actions that cheat people to get their money
Dishonest actions that try to trick people
A clever or dishonest way to get something
A playful habit of doing mischief or telling small lies that amuses people
A clever and dishonest way of tricking people
Antonyms
How Deceptive
Surface Forms
Etymology
The word guile comes from an old French word guile meaning 'deceit' or 'trick', and it is like the English words wile and wily. Think of a fox using clever tricks; that's why guile means clever but dishonest behavior used to trick people.