WILY Synonyms: 100 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How is the word 'wily' distinct from other similar adjectives?

Some common synonyms of wily are artful , crafty , cunning , foxy , slick , sly , and tricky . While all these words mean "attaining or seeking to attain one's ends by guileful or devious means," wily implies skill and deception in maneuvering. // the wily fugitive escaped the posse

Q: When is it sensible to use 'artful' instead of 'wily'?

The words artful and wily are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, artful implies indirectness in dealing and often connotes sophistication or cleverness. // elicited the information by artful questioning

Q: When might 'crafty' be a better fit than 'wily'?

The words crafty and wily can be used in similar contexts, but crafty implies cleverness and subtlety of method. // a crafty lefthander

Q: When would 'cunning' be a good substitute for 'wily'?

The meanings of cunning and wily largely overlap; however, cunning suggests the inventive use of sometimes limited intelligence in overreaching or circumventing. // the cunning fox avoided the trap

Q: Where would 'foxy' be a reasonable alternative to 'wily'?

While in some cases nearly identical to wily , foxy implies a shrewd and wary craftiness usually involving devious dealing. // a foxy publicity man planting stories

Q: When can 'slick' be used instead of 'wily'?

While the synonyms slick and wily are close in meaning, slick emphasizes smoothness and guile. // slick operators selling time-sharing

Q: When is 'sly' a more appropriate choice than 'wily'?

In some situations, the words sly and wily are roughly equivalent. However, sly implies furtiveness, lack of candor, and skill in concealing one's aims and methods. // a sly corporate raider

Q: In what contexts can 'tricky' take the place of 'wily'?

The synonyms tricky and wily are sometimes interchangeable, but tricky is more likely to suggest shiftiness and unreliability than skill in deception and maneuvering. // a tricky political operative

wily

adjective

ˈwī-lē

Definition of wily next

as in cunning

clever at attaining one's ends by indirect and often deceptive means a wily judge of character, she takes advantage of car buyers' insecurities to sell them a bigger machine than they really need

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How is the word wily distinct from other similar adjectives?

Some common synonyms of wily are artful, crafty, cunning, foxy, slick, sly, and tricky. While all these words mean "attaining or seeking to attain one's ends by guileful or devious means," wily implies skill and deception in maneuvering.

the wily fugitive escaped the posse

When is it sensible to use artful instead of wily?

The words artful and wily are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, artful implies indirectness in dealing and often connotes sophistication or cleverness.

elicited the information by artful questioning

When might crafty be a better fit than wily?

The words crafty and wily can be used in similar contexts, but crafty implies cleverness and subtlety of method.

a crafty lefthander

When would cunning be a good substitute for wily?

The meanings of cunning and wily largely overlap; however, cunning suggests the inventive use of sometimes limited intelligence in overreaching or circumventing.

the cunning fox avoided the trap

Where would foxy be a reasonable alternative to wily?

While in some cases nearly identical to wily, foxy implies a shrewd and wary craftiness usually involving devious dealing.

a foxy publicity man planting stories

When can slick be used instead of wily?

While the synonyms slick and wily are close in meaning, slick emphasizes smoothness and guile.

slick operators selling time-sharing

When is sly a more appropriate choice than wily?

In some situations, the words sly and wily are roughly equivalent. However, sly implies furtiveness, lack of candor, and skill in concealing one's aims and methods.

a sly corporate raider

In what contexts can tricky take the place of wily?

The synonyms tricky and wily are sometimes interchangeable, but tricky is more likely to suggest shiftiness and unreliability than skill in deception and maneuvering.

a tricky political operative

Example Sentences

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.

Recent Examples of wily The girls’ depictions also owes a debt to the wily, precocious protagonists of children’s literature, from the perpetually home-alone Pippi Longstocking to those eccentric enrollees at Louis Sachar’s Wayside School series. —

Niela Orr, Vulture, 13 Jan. 2026 Authorities, including the Huntington Beach Police Department, say coyote mating season is a time to be more cautious about the wily canines that live among us. —

Karen Garcia, Los Angeles Times, 9 Jan. 2026 Through cagey use of the voiceover, Casino becomes a wily and cynical yet decidedly reverential glimpse at the way things really get done in a wide- open urban setting. —

Duane Byrge, HollywoodReporter, 22 Nov. 2025 Fellow comedy legend Reiner, who played the wily Saul Bloom, died in June 2020 at age 98 from natural causes. —

Shania Russell, Entertainment Weekly, 11 Nov. 2025 See All Example Sentences for wily

Recent Examples of Synonyms for wily

Adjective

Goldsworthy has made cunning edits of the landscape throughout Penpont.

— Rebecca Mead, New Yorker, 9 Feb. 2026
Perhaps most perceptively captivating is the sweetly cunning way Marczak inserts himself into the film.

— Murtada Elfadl, Variety, 6 Feb. 2026

Definition of cunning

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wilts

wily

wimp

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“Wily.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wily. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.

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Last Updated: 10 Feb 2026 - Updated example sentences

Synonyms of wily

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