wily

adjective

ˈwī-lē How to pronounce wily (audio)
wilier; wiliest
Synonyms of wily
: full of wiles : crafty
a wily negotiator
wilily
ˈwī-lə-lē How to pronounce wily (audio)
adverb
wiliness
ˈwī-lē-nəs How to pronounce wily (audio)
noun

Synonyms of wily

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sly, cunning, crafty, wily, tricky, foxy, artful, slick mean attaining or seeking to attain one's ends by guileful or devious means.

sly implies furtiveness, lack of candor, and skill in concealing one's aims and methods.

a sly corporate raider

cunning suggests the inventive use of sometimes limited intelligence in overreaching or circumventing.

the cunning fox avoided the trap

crafty implies cleverness and subtlety of method.

a crafty lefthander

wily implies skill and deception in maneuvering.

the wily fugitive escaped the posse

tricky is more likely to suggest shiftiness and unreliability than skill in deception and maneuvering.

a tricky political operative

foxy implies a shrewd and wary craftiness usually involving devious dealing.

a foxy publicity man planting stories

artful implies indirectness in dealing and often connotes sophistication or cleverness.

elicited the information by artful questioning

slick emphasizes smoothness and guile.

slick operators selling time-sharing

Examples of wily in a Sentence

She turned out to be a wily negotiator. a wily judge of character, she takes advantage of car buyers' insecurities to sell them a bigger machine than they really need
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
For most of the day, the wily right-hander was even better than just quality. — Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 May 2026 The wily old veteran still has the athleticism needed when plays break down, but his success has hinged more on his reads. — Jesse Granger, New York Times, 23 May 2026 Uso was the wily veteran, a former world heavyweight champion, looking to get back into the title picture. — Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 20 June 2026 The team would soon feature real stars, too, in the likes of KC native Belser and wily midfielder Graham Zusi. — Blair Kerkhoff, Kansas City Star, 3 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for wily

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of wily was in the 14th century

Rhymes for wily

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Browse Nearby Words

Wiltshire side
wily
wimberry
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Cite this Entry

“Wily.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wily. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

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Kids Definition

wily

adjective
ˈwī-lē How to pronounce wily (audio)
wilier; wiliest
: full of deceit : tricky
a wily opponent
wiliness noun

More from Merriam-Webster on wily

Nglish: Translation of wily for Spanish Speakers

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