How to Use sly in a Sentence

sly

adjective
  • The trio laughed at his sly line of questioning.
    — Angel Saunders, People.com, 29 Aug. 2025
  • Werder burst out laughing, and Jones had a sly grin on his face.
    — Tim Cowlishaw, Dallas News, 3 Nov. 2022
  • For that, the world needs the sly-word twisties of Ticktin.
    — Pat Beall, Sun Sentinel, 13 Mar. 2026
  • One night, over dinner, his dad tossed out a few sly questions.
    — Amanda Petrusich, New Yorker, 14 July 2025
  • When they’re gone, the fear on Thomas’ face morphs into a sly smile.
    — Bill Goodykoontz, The Arizona Republic, 9 Apr. 2024
  • The concept of Gem just might be a sly wink to his living-room roots.
    — Lilah Ramzi, Vogue, 2 Apr. 2018
  • Oh responded by briefly putting her hands over her heart and giving a sly smile.
    — Erica Gonzales, Harper's BAZAAR, 7 Jan. 2019
  • On the subject of fashion, men have been quite the sly devils over the years.
    — Washington Post, 21 May 2021
  • The song is anchored by big bass and drum hits, topped by a light synth riff that gives the song a sly edge.
    — Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 4 June 2021
  • Perhaps your eye is drawn to the tall and graceful giraffe or the sly cheetah.
    — Kathryn Gregory, The Courier-Journal, 2 Nov. 2019
  • Garcia sets this all up in a sly way, without overstating it.
    — Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 21 May 2026
  • Pence looked over at Harris after he was done, and offered a sly smile.
    — Christal Hayes, USA TODAY, 8 Oct. 2020
  • The film bursts with all the things that make Pixar movies great, from sly puns (Brainstorm!
    — Ew Staff Published, EW.com, 11 July 2024
  • But Lawrence had a sly eye, and there are many less obvious subjects, too.
    — Sebastian Smee, Washington Post, 24 Jan. 2020
  • The stage seems set for a solemn farewell—the first in a series of sly indirections.
    — Giles Harvey, New Yorker, 30 Mar. 2026
  • When asked point blank if she is done playing Carol, the actress cracks a sly grin.
    — Dalton Ross, EW.com, 8 Sep. 2022
  • And game rooms and fitness centers can be a sly way to keep people near the office for more of the day.
    — Detroit Free Press, 23 June 2018
  • Herbie Carter joined us, a lean man with a sly grin, sunburned squint and twinkling eyes.
    — Howard Fishman, Washington Post, 31 Aug. 2022
  • There’s a bit of that, but Showalter is up to something more sly, and maybe more artful.
    — Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 12 Sep. 2021
  • This southern girl, born in Atlanta, has a sly sense of humor and a ready, hearty laugh.
    — Clayton Davis, Variety, 27 Oct. 2022
  • The other thing that lends drama to it is that Jean, a sly dog, can sense something is up.
    — Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 4 Sep. 2023
  • In a sly stroke, we are never shown the encounter that led to Anne’s condition.
    — The New Yorker, 6 May 2022
  • The belief that art could build a life from scratch is what gives his Grofield a sly depth beneath the bravado.
    — Okla Jones, Essence, 9 Oct. 2025
  • At the same time, @LiZaOutlives had a sly way of commenting on the times.
    — Rachel Syme, The New Yorker, 1 May 2021
  • The man’s still handsome, laid back, intellectual and gives a sly smile here and there.
    — James Hibberd, HollywoodReporter, 10 Apr. 2026
  • Whenever Mike Epps says the name of his hometown, a sly smile creeps across his face.
    — Justin L. MacK, The Indianapolis Star, 1 Oct. 2021
  • In the second verse, as though delivered with a sly wink, Frank takes a bygone lover to task.
    — Jeff Ihaza, Rolling Stone, 10 July 2022
  • At school, teachers hid their identities and students made sly side comments.
    — Greta Cross, USA Today, 11 Oct. 2025
  • Even Hall of Fame artist Bobby Bare dropped by to serve as a sly foil on a duet.
    — Nancy Kruh, PEOPLE.com, 14 June 2018
  • The final slide featured Hailey posing in the dress in profile, a sly smile on her face.
    — Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 1 Oct. 2024

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'sly.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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