sly

[slahy]

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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR sly ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective, sly·er, sly·est.

cunning or wily: sly as a fox.

stealthy, insidious, or secret.

playfully artful, mischievous, or roguish: sly humor.

Idioms

on the sly, secretly; furtively: a tryst on the sly.

Origin of sly

1150–1200; Middle English sly, sley, from Old Norse slœgr “sly, cunning” (originally “able to strike, able to slay”); see slay

Related formssly·ly, adverbsly·ness, nounun·sly, adjective, un·sly·er, un·sly·est.un·sly·ly, adverbun·sly·ness, noun

Synonyms for sly

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR sly ON THESAURUS.COM

1. artful, subtle, foxy, crafty, shrewd, astute. 2. surreptitious, furtive, underhand, clandestine.

Antonyms for sly

1. direct, obvious.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for sly

ingenious, intriguing, impish, shrewd, roguish, mischievous, canny, subtle, smart, arch, artful, astute, cagey, calculating, captious, covert, crafty, crooked, cunning, deceitful

Examples from the Web for sly

Contemporary Examples of sly

Rambo movie marathon—11 am-12 am, AMCBecause nothing says the holidays like Sly Stallone and blood.
The Ultimate Thanksgiving Weekend TV Guide: Must-See Marathons, Specials, and Parades
Kevin Fallon
November 26, 2014
Her songs draw on Stevie Wonder, the Jackson 5, Sly Stone, Curtis Mayfield, and contemporary hip-hop.
In the Backseat With Janelle Monae: A Limo Ride with the Stylish R&B Diva
Douglas Wolk
April 28, 2014
Are its users loud and proud harbingers of the sex-tech revolution, or just people who want to get a bit freaky on the sly?
Hook Up Apps Have Gone Too Far
Charlotte Lytton
March 7, 2014
In fact, some of us would like to think that Fallon meant it as a sly dig and knew exactly what he was asking.
Can Jimmy Fallon Be Himself on ‘The Tonight Show’?
Tom Shales
February 17, 2014
Her sly, skewering banter and provocative cynicism were her defense in a male-dominated profession and also her selling point.
Tallulah Bankhead: Gay, Drunk and Liberated in an Era of Excess Art
Judith Mackrell
January 25, 2014

Historical Examples of sly

"Let them sleep in the bed of honor," said the Princess Medea, with a sly smile at Jason.
Tanglewood Tales
Nathaniel Hawthorne
The sly, wicked Mimi came slinking to the place where the dragon lay.
Opera Stories from Wagner
Florence Akin
I know her sly manner of feeling her way with those gloves of hers.
Little Dorrit
Charles Dickens
The faces seemed to have but one smile, conscious, sly, a little alarmed.
The Coryston Family
Mrs. Humphry Ward
But I had only to open my lips to speak, and away she would run, with a sly smile.
A Hero of Our Time
M. Y. Lermontov

British Dictionary definitions for sly

sly

adjective slyer, slyest, slier or sliest

crafty; artfula sly dodge

insidious; furtivea sly manner

playfully mischievous; roguishsly humour

noun

on the sly in a secretive manner

Derived Formsslyly or slily, adverbslyness, noun

Word Origin for sly

C12: from Old Norse slǣgr clever, literally: able to strike, from slā to slay

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

Word Origin and History for sly

adj.

c.1200, "skillful, clever, dexterous," from Old Norse sloegr "cunning, crafty, sly," from Proto-Germanic *slogis (cf. Low German slu "cunning, sly," German schlau), probably from base *slak- "to strike, hit" (see slay (v.)), with an original notion of "able to hit." Cf. German verschlagen "cunning, crafty, sly," schlagfertig "quick-witted," literally "strike-ready," from schlagen "to strike." A non-pejorative use of the word lingered in northern English dialect until 20c. On the sly "in secret" is recorded from 1812. Sly-boots "a seeming Silly, but subtil Fellow" is in the 1700 "Dictionary of the Canting Crew."

Idioms and Phrases with sly

sly

see on the sly.