sly
cunning or wily: sly as a fox.
stealthy, insidious, or secret.
playfully artful, mischievous, or roguish: sly humor.
Idioms about sly
on the sly, secretly; a tryst on the sly.
Origin of sly
1Other words for sly
Opposites for sly
Other words from sly
- slyly, adverb
- slyness, noun
- un·sly, adjective, un·sly·er, un·sly·est.
- un·sly·ly, adverb
- un·sly·ness, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use sly in a sentence
Once there was a bad boy named Tom, and the older he grew, the wiser and slyer he thought himself.
Bluebeard | Clifton JohnsonWhen exceptional circumstances compel me to take an opposite course, there isn't a slyer fox alive than I am.
No Name | Wilkie CollinsAnd he looked hard at Hallvard, who was the slyer of those two.
The Story of Rolf and the Viking's Bow | Allen FrenchAs a rule, the quieter a man is the slyer he is, and the more he means mischief.
But of course he knew this, too; so I did not evade the slyer intent of his question.
The Little Red Foot | Robert W. Chambers
British Dictionary definitions for sly
/ (slaɪ) /
crafty; artful: a sly dodge
insidious; furtive: a sly manner
playfully mischievous; roguish: sly humour
on the sly in a secretive manner
Origin of sly
1Derived forms of sly
- slyly or slily, adverb
- slyness, noun
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
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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