Wily

Practice This Word

Deceitfully clever; cunning and sly; full of craftiness.

adjective

Wily

Deceitfully clever; cunning and sly; full of craftiness.

adjective

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Imagine This

Picture a wily fox in a bustling farmyard. It offers to help herd the chickens, all the while calculating the best moment to snatch eggs. Each friendly gesture is a decoy that hides its true goal: misdirection to achieve a prize.

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Sounds Like

WHY-lee

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Looks Like

Willy (a killer whale in the movie Free Willy)

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Remember This

Wily derives from the noun 'wile' meaning a trick or stratagem; the word describes someone who uses clever tricks to achieve a goal.

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Other Forms

wilenoun

wilesnoun

wilieradjective

wiliestadjective

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Connect With

craftiness, cunning, slyness, deception, guile

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Note

Note: Do not confuse wily with willful. Wily describes crafty trickery; willful means deliberate or intentional. Also distinguish between 'wile' (the trick) and 'wiles' (tricks).

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Study Deeper

Examples

The wily fox outsmarted the farmer by using a decoy and slipping into the coop.
She was so wily in negotiations that she secured a favorable deal without appearing aggressive.

Synonyms

slycunningcraftydeviousguileful

Antonyms

frankhonestopen

Etymology

From the noun 'wile' meaning a trick or stratagem; the -y suffix forms the adjective meaning 'full of wiles.' The noun 'wile' comes from Old English and is related to other Germanic words for craft and deceit.

Mnemonic

Mnemonic: Wily contains the word 'wile' (a trick). Remember: if someone is wily, they are full of wiles.