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sly
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- pronunciation:
- slaI
- phrases:
- on the sly
- features:
- Word Combinations (adjective)
| part of speech: |
adjective |
| inflections: |
slier, slyer, sliest, slyest |
| definition 1: |
devious or untrustworthy; sneaky.
He was a sly politician who managed to gain power through various underhanded means.- synonyms:
- crafty, cunning, foxy, sneaky, tricky, wily
- similar words:
- arch, calculating, deceptive, devious, furtive, guileful, shifty, slick, underhanded, untrustworthy
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| definition 2: |
having an air of secrecy; stealthy.
Through a series of sly moves, he was able to get close to and gain the confidence of the president.- synonyms:
- furtive, secretive, stealthy, surreptitious
- similar words:
- clandestine, confidential, covert, secret, sneaky, undercover
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| definition 3: |
humorously artful; full of mischief.
From the sly expression on his face, we could tell he was up to some mischief.- synonyms:
- arch, mischievous, prankish, roguish, waggish
- similar words:
- elfish, facetious, foxy, impish, puckish, rascally, scampish
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| related words: |
artful, captious, cunning, scheming, subtle, tricky, two-faced, wily |
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| phrase: |
on the sly |
| derivations: |
slyly (adv.), slyness (n.) |
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