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 Synonym Discussion at trick

²wile

transitive verb

wiledwil·ing

Definition of WILE

1

: to lure by or as if by a magic spell : entice

2

[by alteration] : while

Examples of WILE

1. <her stories of the Old South could wile anyone>

First Known Use of WILE

14th century

Related to WILE

Synonyms

allure, beguile, bewitch, captivate, enchant, fascinate, kill, magnetize, charm, witch [archaic]

Related Words

disarm, draw, entice, lure, pull, seduce, tempt; delight, gratify, please; arrest, enrapture, enthrall (or enthral), entrance; appeal (to), interest, intrigue; beckon, court, invite, solicit, woo

Near Antonyms

disgust, offend, repel, revolt; annoy, displease, irk; bore, tire, weary

Rhymes with WILE

dial, file, isle, pile, smile, spile, stile, style, tile, trial, while