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wily

[ wahy-lee ]

/ ˈwaɪ li /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR wily ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective, wil·i·er, wil·i·est.

full of, marked by, or proceeding from wiles; crafty; cunning.

Origin of wily

Middle English word dating back to 1250–1300; see origin at wile, -y¹

SYNONYMS FOR wily

artful, sly, designing, intriguing, tricky, foxy, deceitful, treacherous.

SEE SYNONYMS FOR wily ON THESAURUS.COM

ANTONYMS FOR wily

straightforward, open.

SEE ANTONYMS FOR wily ON THESAURUS.COM

OTHER WORDS FROM wily

wil·i·ly, adverb wil·i·ness, noun o·ver·wil·y, adjective un·wil·y, adjective

Words nearby wily

wilton house, wilton manor, wilts, wiltshire, wiltshire horn, wily, wimble, wimbledon, wimmin, wimp, wimp out

Example sentences from the Web for wiliness

Love had already given strength and wiliness to the countess.

Maitre Cornelius |Honore de Balzac
Who knowing their wiliness, saith to them: Why tempt you me?

The Bible, Douay-Rheims Version |Various
I will watch with the wiliness of a snake, that I may sting with its venom.

Frankenstein |Mary W. Shelley
"What the brethren wanted in strength they had in wiliness," he says.

The Beginners of a Nation |Edward Eggleston.

It depends a lot upon the wiliness of the fox he's in pursuit of.

The Riddle of the Spinning Wheel |Mary E. Hanshew

British Dictionary definitions for wiliness

wily

/ (ˈwaɪlɪ) /

adjective wilier or wiliest

characterized by or proceeding from wiles; sly or crafty

Derived forms of wily

wiliness, noun