WILY Synonyms: 100 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How is the word 'wily' distinct from other similar adjectives?

Some common synonyms of wily are artful , crafty , cunning , foxy , slick , sly , and tricky . While all these words mean "attaining or seeking to attain one's ends by guileful or devious means," wily implies skill and deception in maneuvering. // the wily fugitive escaped the posse

Q: When is it sensible to use 'artful' instead of 'wily'?

The words artful and wily are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, artful implies indirectness in dealing and often connotes sophistication or cleverness. // elicited the information by artful questioning

Q: When might 'crafty' be a better fit than 'wily'?

The words crafty and wily can be used in similar contexts, but crafty implies cleverness and subtlety of method. // a crafty lefthander

Q: When would 'cunning' be a good substitute for 'wily'?

The meanings of cunning and wily largely overlap; however, cunning suggests the inventive use of sometimes limited intelligence in overreaching or circumventing. // the cunning fox avoided the trap

Q: Where would 'foxy' be a reasonable alternative to 'wily'?

While in some cases nearly identical to wily , foxy implies a shrewd and wary craftiness usually involving devious dealing. // a foxy publicity man planting stories

Q: When can 'slick' be used instead of 'wily'?

While the synonyms slick and wily are close in meaning, slick emphasizes smoothness and guile. // slick operators selling time-sharing

Q: When is 'sly' a more appropriate choice than 'wily'?

In some situations, the words sly and wily are roughly equivalent. However, sly implies furtiveness, lack of candor, and skill in concealing one's aims and methods. // a sly corporate raider

Q: In what contexts can 'tricky' take the place of 'wily'?

The synonyms tricky and wily are sometimes interchangeable, but tricky is more likely to suggest shiftiness and unreliability than skill in deception and maneuvering. // a tricky political operative

wily

adjective

ˈwī-lē

Definition of wily

as in cunning

clever at attaining one's ends by indirect and often deceptive means a wily judge of character, she takes advantage of car buyers' insecurities to sell them a bigger machine than they really need

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How is the word wily distinct from other similar adjectives?

Some common synonyms of wily are artful, crafty, cunning, foxy, slick, sly, and tricky. While all these words mean "attaining or seeking to attain one's ends by guileful or devious means," wily implies skill and deception in maneuvering.

the wily fugitive escaped the posse

When is it sensible to use artful instead of wily?

The words artful and wily are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, artful implies indirectness in dealing and often connotes sophistication or cleverness.

elicited the information by artful questioning

When might crafty be a better fit than wily?

The words crafty and wily can be used in similar contexts, but crafty implies cleverness and subtlety of method.

a crafty lefthander

When would cunning be a good substitute for wily?

The meanings of cunning and wily largely overlap; however, cunning suggests the inventive use of sometimes limited intelligence in overreaching or circumventing.

the cunning fox avoided the trap

Where would foxy be a reasonable alternative to wily?

While in some cases nearly identical to wily, foxy implies a shrewd and wary craftiness usually involving devious dealing.

a foxy publicity man planting stories

When can slick be used instead of wily?

While the synonyms slick and wily are close in meaning, slick emphasizes smoothness and guile.

slick operators selling time-sharing

When is sly a more appropriate choice than wily?

In some situations, the words sly and wily are roughly equivalent. However, sly implies furtiveness, lack of candor, and skill in concealing one's aims and methods.

a sly corporate raider

In what contexts can tricky take the place of wily?

The synonyms tricky and wily are sometimes interchangeable, but tricky is more likely to suggest shiftiness and unreliability than skill in deception and maneuvering.

a tricky political operative

Example Sentences

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.

Recent Examples of wily Where one of his horses might have tried muscling their way out of the Shake Shack to get away from Harkness, the wily Lamb simply creates a big scene over a patron asking him to stop smoking. — Scott Tobias, Vulture, 7 Oct. 2026 The Italian champions’ addition of Three Lions — England internationals John Stones, Curtis Jones and Djed Spence — is aimed at bringing more dynamism to a wily group who have reached two Champions League finals in four years. — James Horncastle, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2026 The Braves have the edge, but the Phillies are always wily little villains. — Aj Willingham, AJC.com, 4 Sep. 2026 The wily, beguiling poems in this collection probe selves and stories as sites of rupture and refraction. — The New Yorker, New Yorker, 31 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for wily

Recent Examples of Synonyms for wily

Adjective

Magpies are opportunistic scavengers, incredibly cunning and deceitful and capable of calculated deception.

— Voice of the People, New York Daily News, 28 Sep. 2026
Last week, Alan Cumming’s cunning competition empire The Traitors unsheathed its most diabolical twist yet.

— Rebecca Alter, Vulture, 24 Sep. 2026

Definition of cunning

Adjective

At their on-screen meet cute, Apatow hands Bamford $500 cash just to pitch her on her own documentary.

— Tony Maglio, HollywoodReporter, 23 Oct. 2026
The showstopper is a very cute idea where each baker has to make a dessert cart with at least three classic desserts on it.

— Brian Moylan, Vulture, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of cute

Adjective

Walid Itayim plays a free and funky guitar solo over Sami Shabshab’s slick bassline, but the lyrics pierce straight through the upbeat tune.

— Shy Clara Thompson, Pitchfork, 23 Oct. 2026
And belief isn’t manufactured by marketing departments, slick hype videos or breathless preseason predictions.

— Mike Bianchi, The Orlando Sentinel, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of slick

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wilts

wily

wimp

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“Wily.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wily. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of wily

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