wily

[wahy-lee]

adjective

wilier, wiliest 

1. full of, marked by, or proceeding from wiles; crafty; cunning.

   Synonyms: treacherous, deceitful, foxy, tricky, designing, sly, artful
   Antonyms: open, straightforward

wily

/ ˈwaɪlɪ /

adjective

1. characterized by or proceeding from wiles; sly or crafty

Other Word Forms

• wilily adverb
• wiliness noun
• overwily adjective
• unwily adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of wily¹

Middle English word dating back to 1250–1300; wile, -y ¹

Example Sentences

A wily politician, Enrile never spent a day behind bars for his role in the Marcos dictatorship despite its human rights abuses.

Read more on Barron's

The wiliest or greediest adult children have their eye on the main prize: real estate.

Read more on MarketWatch

Nationalism and xenophobia: There are endless proclamations of national superiority and hatred of foreigners; yet despite this claimed superiority, wily foreigners are always seen to be getting the better of the national community.

Read more on Salon

Aided by Stone and Plemons’ wily pair of performances, “Bugonia” is both everything you think it will be and nothing like that image at all.

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She favors installing parental controls, even though wily children can outwit them, on grounds that some thwarting is better than none at all.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• cagey 
• crooked 
• scheming 
• shifty 
• shrewd 
• sly 
• sneaky 
• underhanded