foxier; foxiest
1
: resembling or suggestive of a fox
a narrow foxy face
: such as
a
: cunningly shrewd
b
: of a warm reddish-brown color
foxy eyebrows
2
: having a sharp brisk flavor
foxy grapes
3
: physically attractive
a foxy lady
foxily adverb
foxiness noun
Choose the Right Synonym for foxy

sly, cunning, crafty, wily, tricky, foxy, artful, slick mean attaining or seeking to attain one's ends by guileful or devious means.

sly implies furtiveness, lack of candor, and skill in concealing one's aims and methods.

a sly corporate raider

cunning suggests the inventive use of sometimes limited intelligence in overreaching or circumventing.

the cunning fox avoided the trap

crafty implies cleverness and subtlety of method.

a crafty lefthander

wily implies skill and deception in maneuvering.

the wily fugitive escaped the posse

tricky is more likely to suggest shiftiness and unreliability than skill in deception and maneuvering.

a tricky political operative

foxy implies a shrewd and wary craftiness usually involving devious dealing.

a foxy publicity man planting stories

artful implies indirectness in dealing and often connotes sophistication or cleverness.

elicited the information by artful questioning

slick emphasizes smoothness and guile.

slick operators selling time-sharing

Examples of foxy in a Sentence

the oft-told story of the foxy flatterer who works her way up the ladder of success by stepping on people as she goes
Recent Examples on the Web Related posts: - Caturday rib licking - Canis Minor shoots for the sky - A foxy Caturday - Owl be seeing you culture 1 free article left Want More? Phil Plait, Discover Magazine, 7 Aug. 2010 Feeling foxy? Andrea Wurzburger, Peoplemag, 8 Mar. 2023 His latest: a coiffed crew cut showing off some lighter blonde highlights – with hints of his foxy silver strands! Staff Author, Peoplemag, 10 Feb. 2023 Meanwhile, Van Halen was young, hungry and -- thanks to foxy frontman David Lee Roth and Eddie Van Halen, the most jaw-dropping guitarist since Jimi Hendrix – dripping with star-power. Matt Wake | Mwake@al.com, al, 27 Feb. 2023 The foxy blonde making eyes with Duckie at the end of the film? Drew MacKie, Peoplemag, 29 Aug. 2022

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'foxy.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1528, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of foxy was in 1528

Dictionary Entries Near foxy

Cite this Entry

“Foxy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/foxy. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

foxy

adjective
foxier; foxiest
1
: resembling a fox in appearance
2
: cunning and careful in planning and action
3
: physically attractive
foxily adverb
foxiness noun

More from Merriam-Webster on foxy

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