sly
adjective
ˈslī 
slyer also slier ˈslī(-ə)r ; slyest also sliest ˈslī-əst
; slyest also sliest ˈslī-əst 1
chiefly dialectal
a
: wise in practical affairs
b
: displaying cleverness : ingenious
2
a
: clever in concealing one's aims or ends : furtive
b
: lacking in straightforwardness and candor : dissembling
3
: lightly mischievous : roguish
a sly jest
slyly adverb
or less commonly slily
She slyly evaded the question.
slyness noun
Synonyms
- artful
- beguiling
- cagey
- cagy
- crafty
- cunning
- cute
- designing
- devious
- dodgy [chiefly British]
- foxy
- guileful
- scheming
- shrewd
- slick
- subtle
- tricky
- wily
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
the movie pairs a sly, dissembling ex-con with an upstanding, straight-arrow cop why, you sly fellow! I had no idea you were planning my birthday party
Recent Examples on the Web When asked point blank if she is done playing Carol, the actress cracks a sly grin. 
Dalton Ross, EW.com, 8 Sep. 2022 As quickly as the look came, it was replaced by a sly grin. Mike Kerrigan, WSJ, 7 Sep. 2022 Herbie Carter joined us, a lean man with a sly grin, sunburned squint and twinkling eyes. Howard Fishman, Washington Post, 31 Aug. 2022 The sly and sinister folk horror tale centers on aging British movie star Veronica Ghent (Alice Krige), who undergoes a mastectomy and travels to a remote Scottish retreat with her young nurse (Kota Eberhardt) to recover. Brian Truitt, USA TODAY, 14 July 2022 In contradiction to Rachmaninoff’s public image as a dour spirit, his late scores have a cosmopolitan veneer and a sly, ironic tone. Alex Ross, The New Yorker, 29 Aug. 2022 The success of the plissé pieces is that their ease of wear—soft synthetic fabrics, forgiving folds, and elastic waists and enveloping shapes—is balanced by a sly strangeness of silhouettes and materials. Rachel Tashjian, Harper's BAZAAR, 9 Aug. 2022 Frequently these prose items are also full of the humorousness, the sly turnings of a speaking voice, that is absent from most of the poems. William H. Pritchard, WSJ, 5 Aug. 2022 The actress plays Valeria Hernandez, the protagonist of this chilling body horror, with a sly, concentrated determination. Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 4 Aug. 2022 See More
Dalton Ross, EW.com, 8 Sep. 2022 As quickly as the look came, it was replaced by a sly grin. Mike Kerrigan, WSJ, 7 Sep. 2022 Herbie Carter joined us, a lean man with a sly grin, sunburned squint and twinkling eyes. Howard Fishman, Washington Post, 31 Aug. 2022 The sly and sinister folk horror tale centers on aging British movie star Veronica Ghent (Alice Krige), who undergoes a mastectomy and travels to a remote Scottish retreat with her young nurse (Kota Eberhardt) to recover. Brian Truitt, USA TODAY, 14 July 2022 In contradiction to Rachmaninoff’s public image as a dour spirit, his late scores have a cosmopolitan veneer and a sly, ironic tone. Alex Ross, The New Yorker, 29 Aug. 2022 The success of the plissé pieces is that their ease of wear—soft synthetic fabrics, forgiving folds, and elastic waists and enveloping shapes—is balanced by a sly strangeness of silhouettes and materials. Rachel Tashjian, Harper's BAZAAR, 9 Aug. 2022 Frequently these prose items are also full of the humorousness, the sly turnings of a speaking voice, that is absent from most of the poems. William H. Pritchard, WSJ, 5 Aug. 2022 The actress plays Valeria Hernandez, the protagonist of this chilling body horror, with a sly, concentrated determination. Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 4 Aug. 2022 See More Word History
Etymology
Middle English sleighe, sli, from Old Norse slœgr; akin to Old English slēan to strike — more at slay
First Known Use
13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a
Phrases Containing sly
Kids Definition
sly
adjective
ˈslī
slier or slyer; sliest or slyest
1
: both clever and tricky
2
: tending to keep secrets and hide intentions
3
: mischievous sense 2
There were teachers all over the place, and any kind of fighting or taunting, above a sly pinch … was out. Lynne Reid Banks, The Indian in the Cupboard
Lynne Reid Banks, The Indian in the Cupboardslyly
adverb
variants also slily
as in cunningly
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- cunningly
- craftily
- archly
- furtively
- insidiously
- sharply
- artfully
- underhandedly
- cannily
- shiftily
- falsely
- deceitfully
- underhanded
- slickly
- deceptively
- underhand
- dishonestly
- unctuously
- calculatingly
- deviously
- flatteringly
- hypocritically
- affectedly
- pretentiously
- sycophantically
- artificially
- insincerely
- unnaturally
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- innocently
- ingenuously
- naively
- naturally
- naïvely
- sincerely
- simply
- unaffectedly
- guilelessly
- artlessly
- unpretentiously
- genuinely
- honestly
- openly
- truly
- unfeignedly
- freely
- openheartedly