SLY: Synonyms and Related Words. What is Another Word for SLY?

Need another word that means the same as “sly”? Find 37 synonyms and 30 related words for “sly” in this overview.

The synonyms of “Sly” are: crafty, cunning, dodgy, foxy, guileful, knavish, slick, tricksy, tricky, wily, clever, artful, conniving, scheming, devious, designing, deceitful, duplicitous, dishonest, disingenuous, underhand, sneaky, untrustworthy, roguish, mischievous, impish, puckish, playful, teasing, naughty, wicked, waggish, surreptitious, furtive, stealthy, covert, secret

Sly as an Adjective

Definitions of "Sly" as an adjective

According to the Oxford Dictionary of English, “sly” as an adjective can have the following definitions:

• Showing in an insinuating way that one has some secret knowledge that may be harmful or embarrassing.
• (of an action) surreptitious.
• Marked by skill in deception.
• Having or showing a cunning and deceitful nature.

Synonyms of "Sly" as an adjective (37 Words)

artful	Marked by skill in achieving a desired end especially with cunning or craft. An artful choice of metaphors.
clever	Showing inventiveness and skill. Joe had a feeling it wasn t too clever leaving Dolly alone.
conniving	Acting together in secret toward a fraudulent or illegal end. A heartless and conniving woman.
covert	Not openly acknowledged or displayed. Covert operations against the dictatorship.
crafty	Marked by skill in deception. A market full of crafty pots and interesting earrings.
cunning	Attractive especially by means of smallness or prettiness or quaintness. Plants have evolved cunning defences.
deceitful	Guilty of or involving deceit; deceiving or misleading others. Smooth shining and deceitful as thin ice.
designing	Concealing crafty designs for advancing your own interest. A designing little minx.
devious	Showing a skilful use of underhand tactics to achieve goals. They arrived at the town by a devious route.
dishonest	Behaving or prone to behave in an untrustworthy, deceitful, or insincere way. He was a dishonest hypocrite prepared to exploit his family.
disingenuous	Not straightforward or candid; giving a false appearance of frankness. An ambitious disingenuous philistine and hypocritical operator who exemplified the most disagreeable traits of his time.
dodgy	Of uncertain outcome; especially fraught with risk- New Yorker. Activities like these could be dodgy for your heart.
duplicitous	Deceitful. A duplicitous philanderer.
foxy	Reddish brown in colour. A foxy lady.
furtive	Secret and sly or sordid. They spent a furtive day together.
guileful	Marked by skill in deception. A supremely guileful and deceptive politician.
impish	Inclined to do slightly naughty things for fun; mischievous. He had an impish look about him.
knavish	Marked by skill in deception. His knavish tricks will be frustrated.
mischievous	Causing or showing a fondness for causing trouble in a playful way. A mischievous allegation for which there is not a shred of evidence.
naughty	Badly behaved. A naughty wink.
playful	Intended for one’s own or others’ amusement rather than seriously. A playful tomboy who loves to dress up.
puckish	Playful, especially in a mischievous way. A puckish sense of humour.
roguish	Lacking principles or scruples. He gave her a roguish smile.
scheming	Concealing crafty designs for advancing your own interest. A scheming gold digger.
secret	Of information given in confidence or in secret. A secret agent.
slick	Made slick by e g ice or grease. A slick commercial.
sneaky	Marked by quiet and caution and secrecy; taking pains to avoid being observed. Sneaky underhand tactics.
stealthy	Behaving or done in a cautious and surreptitious manner, so as not to be seen or heard. Stealthy footsteps.
surreptitious	Conducted with or marked by hidden aims or methods. Low wages were supplemented by surreptitious payments from tradesmen.
teasing	Playfully vexing (especially by ridicule. Teasing comments.
tricksy	Ingenious, intricate, or complicated. A tricksy little device.
tricky	Having concealed difficulty. Applying eyeliner can be a tricky business.
underhand	With the palm of the hand upward or outward. An underhand pitch.
untrustworthy	Not worthy of trust or belief. These untrustworthy impressions were instinctive.
waggish	Witty or joking- James Fenimore Cooper. Muskrat Castle as the house has been facetiously named by some waggish officer.
wicked	Highly offensive; arousing aversion or disgust. A wicked and unscrupulous politician.
wily	Skilled at gaining an advantage, especially deceitfully. His wily opponents.

Usage Examples of "Sly" as an adjective

• A sly sip of water.
• Sly as a fox.
• A sly, manipulative woman.
• He gave a sly grin.

Associations of "Sly" (30 Words)

artful	Marked by skill in achieving a desired end especially with cunning or craft. The artful dodger.
artfully	In a disingenuous manner. Her foot pointed artfully toward tapering toes.
astute	Marked by practical hardheaded intelligence. An astute businessman.
beguile	Attract; cause to be enamored. To beguile some of the time they went to the cinema.
chicanery	The use of tricks to deceive someone (usually to extract money from them. Storylines packed with political chicanery.
covert	A covering that serves to conceal or shelter something. Covert actions by the CIA.
crafty	(of something pleasurable) consumed or done in an unplanned, surreptitious way. A market full of crafty pots and interesting earrings.
cunning	Skill in achieving one’s ends by deceit. Cunning kittens.
difficult	(of a person) not easy to please or satisfy; awkward. Nesting places on the cliffs are difficult of access.
duplicity	Deceitfulness. The president was accused of duplicity in his dealings with Congress.
elusive	Skillful at eluding capture. Success will become ever more elusive.
esoteric	Confined to and understandable by only an enlightened inner circle. A compilation of esoteric philosophical theories.
esoterica	Secrets known only to an initiated minority. A professor of such esoterica as angelology and comparative shamanism.
fraudulence	A fraudulent or duplicitous representation.
furtive	Attempting to avoid notice or attention, typically because of guilt or a belief that discovery would lead to trouble; secretive. The look in his eyes became furtive.
guile	The use of tricks to deceive someone (usually to extract money from them. He used all his guile and guts to free himself from the muddle he was in.
ingenious	(of a person) clever, original, and inventive. Ingenious devices.
insidious	Beguiling but harmful. Insidious pleasures.
machiavellian	A follower of Machiavelli’s principles.
manipulative	Exercising unscrupulous control or influence over a person or situation. The early manipulative techniques of a three year old child.
obscure	Make obscure or unclear. An obscure turn of phrase.
secretive	Inclined to secrecy or reticence about divulging information. She was very secretive about her past.
shrewd	Having or showing sharp powers of judgement; astute. She was shrewd enough to guess the motive behind his gesture.
skulduggery	Verbal misrepresentation intended to take advantage of you in some way. A firm that investigates commercial skulduggery.
slyly	In a cunning and deceitful or manipulative manner. He slyly manipulates votes.
subtle	Able to make fine distinctions. A subtle difference.
trickery	The use of tricks to deceive someone (usually to extract money from them. The dealer resorted to trickery.
tricky	Not to be trusted. I wouldn t trust her she s tricky.
wile	The use of tricks to deceive someone (usually to extract money from them. The devious wiles of the politicians.
wily	Skilled at gaining an advantage, especially deceitfully. A wily old attorney.