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sly

[ slahy ]
/ slaɪ /
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See synonyms for: sly / slyly / slyness on Thesaurus.com

adjective, comparative sly·er or sli·er [slahy-er], /ˈslaɪ ər/, superlative sly·est or sli·est [slahy-ist]. /ˈslaɪ ɪst/.
cunning or wily: sly as a fox.
stealthy, insidious, or secret.
playfully artful, mischievous, or roguish: sly humor.
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Idioms about sly

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

Origin of sly

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

OTHER WORDS FROM sly

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use sly in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for sly

sly
/ (slaɪ) /

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 forms of sly

slyly 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

Other Idioms and Phrases with sly

sly

see on the sly.

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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