slyly

[slahy-lee]

adverb

1. in a deceitful manner; cunningly.

   They slyly plot to overthrow us.

2. in a roguish or mischievous way.

   Some were serious, while others slyly winked at the camera.

Word History and Origins

Origin of slyly¹

First recorded 1350–1400 slyly ( def. 1 ); 1835–40 slyly ( def. 2 ); sly ( def. ) + -ly ( def. )

Example Sentences

Sparks pauses, then smiles slyly, “I think it was called ‘The Sixth Sense.’”

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While Rittenhome casually declaws Rob Morrow’s crusading attorney, Scorsese slyly plays off the audience’s familiarity with his dark, violent crime films.

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The “Alligator Alcatraz” storefront is cartoon gators slyly winking at us from under red baseball caps: It’s just a joke, and you’re in on it.

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And chunks of cooked zucchini were slyly thrown into soups and spaghetti.

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Walter is a slyly adept social critic, and has clearly invested his protagonist with all of the outrage and heartbreak he himself feels about the dark course our world has taken.

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Related Words

• shrewdly www.thesaurus.com