A sly look, expression, or remark shows that you know something that other people do not know or that was meant to be a secret.
His lips were spread in a sly smile.
He gave me a sly, meaningful look.
Synonyms: roguish, knowing, arch, teasing More Synonyms of sly
slylyadverb
Anna grinned slyly.
2. adjective
If you describe someone as sly, you disapprove of them because they keep their feelings or intentions hidden and are clever at deceiving people.
[disapproval]
She is devious and sly and manipulative.
He's a sly old beggar if ever there was one.
Synonyms: cunning, scheming, devious, secret More Synonyms of sly
3.
See on the sly
More Synonyms of sly
sly in British English
(slaɪ)
adjectiveWord forms: slyer, slyest, slier or sliest
1.
crafty; artful
a sly dodge
2.
insidious; furtive
a sly manner
3.
playfully mischievous; roguish
sly humour
noun
4. on the sly
Derived forms
slyly (ˈslyly) or slily (ˈslily)
adverb
slyness (ˈslyness)
noun
Word origin
C12: from Old Norse slǣgr clever, literally: able to strike, from slā to slay
sly in American English
(slaɪ)
adjectiveWord forms: ˈslier or ˈslyer, ˈsliest or ˈslyest
1. Dialectal
skillful or clever
2.
skillful at trickery or deceit; crafty; wily
3.
showing a secretive, crafty, or wily nature; cunningly underhanded
4.
mischievous in a playful way; roguish
Idioms:
on the sly
SYNONYMY NOTE: sly implies a working to achieve one's ends by evasiveness, insinuation, furtiveness,duplicity, etc. [a sly bargain]; cunning implies a cleverness or shrewd skillfulness at deception and circumvention [a cunning plot]; crafty implies an artful cunning in contriving stratagems and subtle deceptions [a crafty diplomat]; tricky suggests a shifty, unreliable quality rather than cleverness at deception [tricky subterfuges]; foxy suggests slyness and craftiness that have been sharpened by experience [a foxy old trader]; wily implies the deceiving or ensnarement of others by subtle stratagems and ruses [wily blandishments]
Derived forms
slyly (ˈslyly)
adverb
slyness (ˈslyness)
noun
Word origin
ME sley < ON slœgr, clever, cunning, lit., able to strike < base of slā & OE slean, to strike: see slay
Examples of 'sly' in a sentence
sly
The visual image that persists is the sly smile.
Christianity Today (2000)
My husband has been known to have a sly look at the script.
The Sun (2014)
But she is very sly and manipulative and the situation is tearing us apart.
The Sun (2016)
And he has a sly sense of humour.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
He is a sly fox disguised as a teddy bear.
The Sun (2013)
You'd find the sly looks to camera wearying.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
Out in the world, people give you sly glances and look shifty.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
It seemed intelligent but in a sly, manipulative way.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
There are a lot of sly, cunning footballers on planet football.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
The humour is sly without being cynical, and the voice actors are a delight.
The Sun (2007)
It is a story of resistance, sly humour and hope.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
Both worlds are deftly caught, with a great deal of sly humour.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
And all this is recounted with a wry, sly humour.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
A sly smile spread her lips as she thought of their strength.
Kathleen E. Woodiwiss THE WOLF AND THE DOVE
He's also a sly fox.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
That is all,' he said with a sly smile.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
As a manager he can certainly be sly and cunning, but those who have worked with him know a man with a far broader repertoire.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
The piece benefits from the duo's mutual trust, maturity and sly sense of humour.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
She had just the sort of sly look that made Miss Pelham clutch her bag more tightly to her chest.
Tracy Chevalier Burning Bright (2007)
He is cunning and sly (he can remove my debit card from under my nose) and is parasitic with poor behaviour controls.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
A quiet man with a neat military moustache, he loved poetry, was a stickler for detail and had a sly sense of humour.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
In other languages
sly
British English: sly /slaɪ/ ADJECTIVE
A sly look, expression, or remark shows that you know something that other people do not know.
He gave me a sly, meaningful look.
American English: sly
Arabic: كَتُوم
Brazilian Portuguese: dissimulado
Chinese: 狡猾的
Croatian: prepreden
Czech: mazaný
Danish: snedig
Dutch: sluw
European Spanish: taimado
Finnish: viekas
French: rusé
German: listig
Greek: πονηρός
Italian: scaltro
Japanese: ずるい
Korean: 교활한
Norwegian: slu
Polish: przebiegły
European Portuguese: dissimulado
Romanian: șiret
Russian: хитрый
Latin American Spanish: malicioso
Swedish: slug
Thai: ซึ่งมีเล่ห์เหลี่ยม อย่างฉลาดแกมโกง
Turkish: kurnaz
Ukrainian: хитрий
Vietnamese: ranh mãnh
Chinese translation of 'sly'
sly
(slaɪ)
adj
[smile, expression, remark]会(會)意的 (huìyì de)
[person]狡诈(詐)的 (jiǎozhà de)
on the sly (inf) 秘(祕)密地 (mìmì de)
1 (adjective)
Definition
roguish
His lips were spread in a sly smile.
Synonyms
roguish
She had a roguish grin.
knowing
arch
a slightly amused, arch expression
teasing
naughty
You naughty boy, you gave me such a fright.
mischievous
She rocks back and forth on her chair like a mischievous child.
wicked
She has a delightfully wicked sense of humour.
impish
He is known for his impish sense of humour.
2 (adjective)
Definition
secretive and skilled at deception
He is devious, sly and manipulative.
Synonyms
cunning
He's a cunning, devious, good-for-nothing so-and-so.
scheming
a cold, scheming villain
devious
She tracked down the other woman by devious means.
secret
the secret man behind the masks
clever
subtle
He is a subtle character, you know.
tricky
They could encounter some tricky political manoeuvring.
covert
astute
He made a series of astute business decisions.
wily
He is an experienced and wily old statesman.
insidious
They focus on overt racism rather than insidious aspects of racism.
crafty
That crafty old devil had taken us all for a ride.
artful
the smiles and artifices of someone subtly artful
furtive
conniving
Machiavellian
the Machiavellian and devious way decisions were made
shifty (informal)
He had a shifty face and previous convictions.
foxy
He had wary, foxy eyes.
underhand
The Prime Minister had been involved in underhand financial deals.
stealthy
guileful
Opposites
open
,
direct
,
frank
,
straightforward
,
honest
,
trustworthy
,
above-board
,
artless
,
ingenuous
,
guileless
3 (adjective)
Definition
(of a person's remarks or gestures) indicating that he or she knows something of which other people may be unaware
They were giving each other sly looks across the room.
Synonyms
secret
I was heading on a secret mission that made my flesh crawl.
furtive
a furtive glance over her shoulder
surreptitious
They had several surreptitious conversations.
stealthy
It was a stealthy sound made by someone anxious not to be heard.
sneaking
covert
They have been supplying covert military aid to the rebels.
clandestine
They are said to have been holding clandestine meetings for years.
idiom
See on the sly
Additional synonyms
in the sense of arch
Definition
coyly playful
a slightly amused, arch expression
Synonyms
playful,
joking,
teasing,
humorous,
sly,
mischievous,
saucy,
tongue-in-cheek,
jesting,
jokey,
pert,
good-natured,
roguish,
frolicsome,
waggish
in the sense of artful
Definition
cunning
the smiles and artifices of someone subtly artful
Synonyms
cunning,
designing,
scheming,
sharp,
smart,
clever,
subtle,
intriguing,
tricky,
shrewd,
sly,
wily,
politic,
crafty,
foxy,
deceitful
in the sense of astute
Definition
quick to notice or understand
He made a series of astute business decisions.
Synonyms
intelligent,
politic,
bright,
sharp,
keen,
calculating,
clever,
subtle,
penetrating,
knowing,
shrewd,
cunning,
discerning,
sly,
on the ball (informal),
canny,
perceptive,
wily,
crafty,
artful,
insightful,
foxy,
adroit,
sagacious (formal)
Synonyms of 'sly'
sly
Explore 'sly' in the dictionary
Additional synonyms
in the sense of clandestine
Definition
secret and concealed
They are said to have been holding clandestine meetings for years.
Synonyms
secret,
private,
hidden,
underground,
concealed,
closet,
covert,
sly,
furtive,
underhand,
surreptitious,
stealthy,
cloak-and-dagger,
under-the-counter
in the sense of covert
Definition
concealed or secret
They have been supplying covert military aid to the rebels.
Synonyms
secret,
private,
hidden,
disguised,
concealed,
veiled,
sly,
clandestine,
underhand,
unsuspected,
surreptitious,
stealthy
in the sense of crafty
Definition
skilled in deception
That crafty old devil had taken us all for a ride.
Synonyms
cunning,
scheming,
sly,
devious,
knowing,
designing,
sharp,
calculating,
subtle,
tricky,
shrewd,
astute,
fraudulent,
canny,
wily,
insidious,
artful,
foxy,
deceitful,
duplicitous,
tricksy,
guileful
in the sense of devious
Definition
insincere and dishonest
She tracked down the other woman by devious means.
Synonyms
sly,
scheming,
calculating,
tricky,
crooked (informal),
indirect,
treacherous,
dishonest,
wily,
insidious,
evasive,
deceitful,
underhand,
insincere,
surreptitious,
double-dealing,
not straightforward
in the sense of foxy
Definition
of or resembling a fox, esp. in craftiness
He had wary, foxy eyes.
Synonyms
crafty,
knowing,
sharp,
tricky,
shrewd,
cunning,
sly,
astute,
canny,
devious,
wily,
artful,
guileful
in the sense of furtive
Definition
sly, cautious, and secretive
a furtive glance over her shoulder
Synonyms
sly,
secret,
hidden,
sneaking,
covert,
cloaked,
behind someone's back,
secretive,
clandestine,
sneaky,
under-the-table,
slinking,
conspiratorial,
skulking,
underhand,
surreptitious,
stealthy
in the sense of guileful
Synonyms
cunning,
clever,
tricky,
sly,
treacherous,
wily,
crafty,
artful,
sneaky,
foxy,
deceitful,
underhand,
duplicitous
in the sense of impish
Definition
mischievous
He is known for his impish sense of humour.
Synonyms
mischievous,
devilish,
roguish,
rascally,
elfin,
puckish,
waggish,
sportive,
prankish
in the sense of insidious
Definition
working in a subtle or apparently harmless way, but nevertheless dangerous or deadly
They focus on overt racism rather than insidious aspects of racism.
Synonyms
stealthy,
subtle,
cunning,
designing,
smooth,
tricky,
crooked,
sneaking,
slick,
sly,
treacherous,
deceptive,
wily,
crafty,
artful,
disingenuous,
Machiavellian,
deceitful,
surreptitious,
duplicitous,
guileful
in the sense of Machiavellian
Definition
cleverly deceitful and unscrupulous
the Machiavellian and devious way decisions were made
Synonyms
scheming,
cynical,
shrewd,
cunning,
designing,
intriguing,
sly,
astute,
unscrupulous,
wily,
opportunist,
crafty,
artful,
amoral,
foxy,
deceitful,
underhand,
double-dealing,
perfidious (literary)
Additional synonyms
in the sense of mischievous
Definition
full of mischief
She rocks back and forth on her chair like a mischievous child.
Synonyms
naughty,
bad,
troublesome,
wayward,
exasperating,
playful,
rascally,
impish,
roguish,
vexatious,
puckish,
frolicsome,
arch,
ludic (literary),
sportive,
badly behaved
in the sense of naughty
Definition
(of children) mischievous or disobedient
You naughty boy, you gave me such a fright.
Synonyms
disobedient,
bad,
mischievous,
badly behaved,
wayward,
playful,
wicked,
sinful,
fractious,
misbehaved,
impish,
roguish,
refractory
in the sense of scheming
a cold, scheming villain
Synonyms
calculating,
cunning,
sly,
designing,
tricky,
slippery,
wily,
artful,
conniving,
Machiavellian,
foxy,
deceitful,
underhand,
duplicitous
in the sense of shifty
Definition
looking deceitful and not to be trusted
He had a shifty face and previous convictions.
Synonyms
untrustworthy,
sly,
devious,
scheming,
tricky,
slippery,
contriving,
wily,
crafty,
evasive,
furtive,
deceitful,
underhand,
unprincipled,
duplicitous,
fly-by-night (informal)
in the sense of stealthy
It was a stealthy sound made by someone anxious not to be heard.
Synonyms
secret,
secretive,
furtive,
sneaking,
covert,
sly,
clandestine,
sneaky,
skulking,
underhand,
surreptitious
in the sense of subtle
Definition
using shrewd and indirect methods to achieve an objective
He is a subtle character, you know.
Synonyms
crafty,
cunning,
sly,
designing,
scheming,
intriguing,
shrewd,
ingenious,
astute,
devious,
wily,
artful,
Machiavellian
in the sense of surreptitious
Definition
done in secret or without permission
They had several surreptitious conversations.
Synonyms
secret,
clandestine,
furtive,
sneaking,
veiled,
covert,
sly,
fraudulent,
unauthorized,
underhand,
stealthy
in the sense of tricky
Definition
sly or wily
They could encounter some tricky political manoeuvring.
Synonyms
crafty,
scheming,
subtle,
cunning,
slippery,
sly,
deceptive,
devious,
wily,
artful,
foxy,
deceitful
in the sense of underhand
Definition
sly, deceitful, and secretive
The Prime Minister had been involved in underhand financial deals.