sly
31
4.9
- adjective
- /slaɪ/
:
astuto
- The mailman smiled at him, a slow, sly, insinuating smile that made Billy's blood run cold.
- sly humor
- sly look
Before he exits, he gives Jackie a sly smile and a wink.
- Before he exits, he gives Jackie a sly smile and a wink.
- Maybe I'm being little, as that would be kind of clever and sly.
- So the resistance needs to continue even against the more sly and hidden ways that these programs are being are being undermined.
- So that was really, really at best it was, it was sly, it was, it was deeply unfair.
- So that I googled myself to see like where it even was because I was just like interested in how they're so like sly and, you know, not seen.
Examples
-
There are only two types of people that are as sly as the fox.
-
" You see," he remarked with a sly smile, "now they can't lie to us about the price anymore."
Academic text (1998) -
What a sly old fellow you are.
-
If you had asked me that in the first place, instead of being sly, then I would have explained it to you.
-
"In other words," he had whispered in his sly voice, "that woman has no idea who you are."
Fiction book (1992) -
You're a sly dog, Kiki.
-
An old man, wizened and sly, was sitting on a bench in the shade, smoking up a storm.
Academic text (2007) -
Turns out she was watchful and sly, with a bawdy sense of humor.
Academic text (2010) -
After confirming the child's origins, the sly king entrusted the boy with a letter for the queen.
-
The clever thief was very sly in planning the heist without raising suspicion.
Synonyms
101
4.4
Acting in a secret way to avoid being noticed or to get an advantage
51
6.4
Acting in a dishonest or tricky way to get what you want
47
4.5
Good at using clever tricks to get what you want
43
5.1
Clever at getting things by tricking people
26
4.5
Uses lies or clever plans to get what they want
20
6.9
Clever in a sly or secret way to hide what you really mean
19
6.9
A person or animal that uses clever tricks to get what they want
4
8.4
A person who acts sneaky and dishonest to avoid clear answers
3
8.8
Clever in a dishonest way to trick people
3
8.2
Being clever at secretly tricking people for personal gain
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
8.9
A person or plan that tricks people to get what they want
Acting in a secret, sly way to try to trick people
Antonyms
Idioms
Compounds
How Cunning
Surface Forms
Etymology
The word sly comes from an old word meaning 'secret' and 'clever', used for someone who plans quiet 'tricks'. A helpful way to remember it is to imagine a fox that slips away silently to trick people, which is why sly means being clever in a quiet, secret way.