as in cunning
skill in achieving one's ends through indirect, subtle, or underhanded means
the slyness with which the FBI agent infiltrated the subversive organization without their knowledge was indeed impressive
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Recent Examples of slyness
Like the tricksters of myth, there’s depth to their slyness.
—
Big Think, 5 Feb. 2026
Ay, the superb slyness of that last response!
—Anthony Lane, New Yorker, 8 Sep. 2025
Big Think, 5 Feb. 2026
Ay, the superb slyness of that last response!
—Anthony Lane, New Yorker, 8 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for slyness
Noun
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Maybe the mere fact of having been born illustrious, with no apparent faults, with nothing to prove or to be ashamed of, had liberated John from the resentments the rest of us feel, and from the cunning and ambition such resentments fuel.—
Jeffrey Eugenides,
New Yorker,
4 Apr. 2026
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The Brazil international combines technical craft with a decisive cunning.—
Carl Anka,
New York Times,
21 Mar. 2026
Noun
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For even in extravagance, subtlety was key.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
3 Apr. 2026
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The balance between visual impact and emotional subtlety is what gives the exhibition its strength.—
Olga Garcia-Mayoral,
Miami Herald,
31 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Slyness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/slyness. Accessed 6 Apr. 2026.
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