1
as in cunning
clever at attaining one's ends by indirect and often deceptive means
tried to fix the game with a guileful plot to sabotage the other team's bats, but the umpire caught them
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in deceptive
given to or marked by cheating and deception
received a guileful answer when I asked the dealer if the used car had ever been in a collision
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for guileful
Adjective
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Hawkins knows exactly how to play Laura’s cheery psychopathy and cunning cruelties, and Wong, in her first film role, gives Piper a spirited independence.—
Jeannette Catsoulis,
New York Times,
29 May 2025 -
Rigg’s voice is sharp and engrossing, her characters cunning but affable.—
Isle McElroy,
Vulture,
21 May 2025
Adjective
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The quest to build human-level AI agents using techniques known to produce deceptive tendencies, Bengio says, is comparable to a car speeding down a narrow mountain road, with steep cliffs on either side, and thick fog obscuring the path ahead.—
Harry Booth,
Time,
3 June 2025
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Last year, the Biden administration's Transportation Department opened an inquiry ordering American, Delta Air Lines, Southwest and United to provide records and submit reports to ensure consumers do not face unfair, deceptive, or anticompetitive practices.—
David Shepardson,
USA Today,
3 June 2025
Adjective
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Plus, a slight slit in the legs adds a cute and playful touch.—
Jacquelyn Smith,
Parents,
13 June 2025
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Related Articles Miss Manners: Another mother chided me for group-texting a cute photo.—
Eric Thomas,
The Orlando Sentinel,
13 June 2025
Adjective
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If someone submits a fraudulent claim, instead of losing insurance, their personal trust score would be lowered, which would impact insurance costs.—
Robert Clark,
Forbes.com,
12 June 2025
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That’s where hundreds of thousands of Wells Fargo employees opened millions of unauthorized or fraudulent accounts and other financial products, from 2002 to 2016, to meet excessive sales goals.—
Catherine Muccigrosso,
Charlotte Observer,
5 June 2025
Adjective
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The family secrets were subtle but pervasive, reverberating not just through this nuclear family, but also across generations.—
Susan Walter
June 6,
Literary Hub,
6 June 2025
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Your new album, Faith, is a lot subtler than your debut, Signs.—
Philip Sherburne,
Pitchfork,
6 June 2025
Adjective
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Markowski recommends reducing shady, humid areas where the insects hide from the heat, including ornamental grasses, dense shrubs, carports and rocks near ponds.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
8 June 2025
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Give your dad the gift of peace of mind with a data removal service that scrubs his personal details from people-search sites and shady data brokers.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
8 June 2025
Adjective
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Throughout the film, newspaper headlines and snippets of TV contextualize the story against the backdrop of anti-Vietnam demonstrations, colleges retaliating to student campus protests and aggressive policing, along with glimpses of Richard Nixon’s crooked grin.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
23 May 2025
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The moon's insides are crooked thanks to the near side being some 306 degrees Fahrenheit hotter at depth than its counterpart on the lunar far side.—
Ian Randall,
MSNBC Newsweek,
14 May 2025
Adjective
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Transgender rights are way too important to tie to claims that are blatantly, obviously and scientifically dishonest.—
Mike Bianchi,
The Orlando Sentinel,
10 June 2025
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Users of all sites expressed frustration with dishonest users and dating scams, which appeared to be a particular problem on Tinder.—
Dan Gingiss,
Forbes.com,
9 June 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Guileful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/guileful. Accessed 17 Jun. 2025.
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