wile

¹wile

noun \ˈwī(-ə)l\

Definition of WILE

1

: a trick or stratagem intended to ensnare or deceive; also : a beguiling or playful trick

2

: skill in outwitting : trickery, guile

Examples of WILE

1. <had to use all of her wiles to convince her guests to stay for dinner>
2. <it took both wile and cajolery to talk him into it>

Origin of WILE

Middle English wil, perhaps of Scandinavian origin; akin to Old Norse vēl deceit, artifice

First Known Use: 12th century

Related to WILE

Synonyms: artifice, device, dodge, fetch, flimflam, gambit, gimmick, jig, juggle, knack, play, ploy, scheme, shenanigan, sleight, stratagem, trick

Related Words: bluff, end run, feint; cheating, chicanery, cozenage, craft, crookery, cunning, deception, dupery, duplicity, fakery, jugglery, legerdemain, skulduggery (or skullduggery), subterfuge, swindling, trickery; fraud, gaff, hoax, sham, swindle; blind, front, smoke screen

Near Antonyms: artlessness, forthrightness, guilelessness, ingenuousness, sincerity; candidness, candor, directness, openness, plainness, plainspokenness

see all synonyms and antonyms

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See Synonym Discussion at trick