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View synonyms for guile

guile

[ gahyl ]

noun

  1. insidious cunning in attaining a goal; crafty or artful deception; duplicity.

    Synonyms: craft, fraud, trickery



guile

/ ɡaɪl /

noun

  1. clever or crafty character or behaviour
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012


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Derived Forms

  • ˈguilefully, adverb
  • ˈguileful, adjective
  • ˈguilefulness, noun
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Word History and Origins

Origin of guile1

1175–1225; Middle English < Old French < Germanic; akin to wile
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Word History and Origins

Origin of guile1

C18: from Old French guile, of Germanic origin; see wile
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Synonym Study

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Example Sentences

Stewart, generally a marvelous actor, plays Diana as a mannered doe—the performance is packed with calculation and guile.

From Time

It has been built on the resourcefulness, guile and self-belief of a gritty competitor determined to find solutions against favored opponents.

Her performance is clearly stylized, but it’s also packed with calculation and guile.

From Time

He used changes of pace and direction, plus more than a little ref-baiting guile, to get Embiid and Matisse Thybulle, in particular, to foul him on attempts that likely had little chance of being converted in the first place.

That’s a lot of guile, a lot of know-how — and a lot of star power.

Sadly, it wasn't until she sang "Something Good" that Underwood's tireless guile finally succeeded in winning over the audience.

But to say nothing of the innovative frame structure, what stands out here is the guile and agency of the female characters.

"If that is the case, hats off to him for guile and deviousness," says Yossi Verter in Haaretz.

At one point it seemed that Brown was, with unseemly guile, trying to remain in 10 Downing Street.

The simple honest-hearted General, who knew not the guile of their hearts, was deluded into wishing them success.

She knew that he loved her—a frank, blustering fellow without guile enough to conceal his feelings, and no desire to do so.

There was neither guile nor vanity in the girl's heart, nor a trace of deceit in her face; only gentleness, truth, and beauty.

She was so bright and pretty, so interested, and so free from guile, that hearts opened to her as blossoms to the sun.

O strong ones, he who is the guardian of so much wealth, he calls on you with praises, free from guile.

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