wily

adjective

ˈwī-lē How to pronounce wily (audio)
wilier; wiliest
Synonyms of wily
: full of wiles : crafty
a wily negotiator
wilily
ˈwī-lə-lē How to pronounce wily (audio)
adverb
wiliness
ˈwī-lē-nəs How to pronounce wily (audio)
noun

Synonyms of wily

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sly, cunning, crafty, wily, tricky, foxy, artful, slick mean attaining or seeking to attain one's ends by guileful or devious means.

sly implies furtiveness, lack of candor, and skill in concealing one's aims and methods.

a sly corporate raider

cunning suggests the inventive use of sometimes limited intelligence in overreaching or circumventing.

the cunning fox avoided the trap

crafty implies cleverness and subtlety of method.

a crafty lefthander

wily implies skill and deception in maneuvering.

the wily fugitive escaped the posse

tricky is more likely to suggest shiftiness and unreliability than skill in deception and maneuvering.

a tricky political operative

foxy implies a shrewd and wary craftiness usually involving devious dealing.

a foxy publicity man planting stories

artful implies indirectness in dealing and often connotes sophistication or cleverness.

elicited the information by artful questioning

slick emphasizes smoothness and guile.

slick operators selling time-sharing

Examples of wily in a Sentence

She turned out to be a wily negotiator. a wily judge of character, she takes advantage of car buyers' insecurities to sell them a bigger machine than they really need
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
A couple of hours later, Learner Tien lost to wily French veteran Adrian Mannarino. — Matthew Futterman, New York Times, 1 Aug. 2026 Almost two decades ago in Germany, a particularly wily octopus named Otto short-circuited his aquarium’s electrical system by shooting jets of water at an overhead light that perhaps caused an objectionable glare. — Cody Cottier, Scientific American, 29 July 2026 Nolan foregrounds the nobility that guides the character (his guilt, his dedication to his men, his yearning for his family) and neglects his wily cunning and egotism. — Angelica Jade Bastién, Vulture, 27 July 2026 As many as 13,000 of the wily reptiles live in the swamp, adding a layer of spellbinding magic to the wetland. — Charles Seabrook, AJC.com, 25 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for wily

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of wily was in the 14th century

Rhymes for wily

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Browse Nearby Words

Wiltshire side
wily
wimberry
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Cite this Entry

“Wily.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wily. Accessed 3 Aug. 2026.

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Kids Definition

wily

adjective
ˈwī-lē How to pronounce wily (audio)
wilier; wiliest
: full of deceit : tricky
a wily opponent
wiliness noun

More from Merriam-Webster on wily

Nglish: Translation of wily for Spanish Speakers

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