guileful

American  

[gahyl-fuhl] / ˈgaɪl fəl /

adjective

1. insidiously cunning; artfully deceptive; wily.

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Other Word Forms

• guilefully adverb
• guilefulness noun
• unguileful adjective

Etymology

Origin of guileful

Middle English word dating back to 1300–50; guile, -ful

Example Sentences

Ms. Jackson is no apologist—her James has flaws aplenty—but where prior historians offered snide caricature, she portrays a complex leader who was “intelligent, resilient, idiosyncratic, irascible, guileful and witty.”

From The Wall Street Journal

In fact her quote was more guileful than that—and all the more revealing for it.

From The Wall Street Journal

The game still features plenty of lung-burning rallies, but there is much more action now in the front of the court — more drop shots and guileful flicks.

From New York Times

And however much they played and were children, still their faces were scored with the knowledge and cares that children should not have, their eyes were knowing and guileful beyond their years.

From Literature

Equally enjoyable is the pleasure, borrowed from John le Carré, of watching the games of vastly intelligent and dead-hearted men as they play with the lives of the less guileful.

From New York Times