guile

noun

ˈgī(-ə)l 

1

: deceitful cunning : duplicity

a war that called for guile rather than firepower

2

obsolete : stratagem, trick

guileful

ˈgī(-ə)l-fəl 

adjective

guilefully

ˈgī(-ə)l-fə-lē 

adverb

guilefulness noun

Synonyms of guile

• cunning

Examples of guile in a Sentence

By the end of Liebling's dispatch, Mollie has become a mythic figure invulnerable to death, capable of great feats of courage and guile, and able to transform himself into any human type for the purposes of disguise. —Lee Siegel, Harper's, December 2004

The going was painfully slow, but Chickenhound consoled himself on the long journey by boosting his own ego. "Maybe a silly bunch of rats could put one over on Sela. Huh, she was old and had lost a lot of her guile. Not like me! They hadn't reckoned with a smart intelligent young fox like I am." —Brian Jacques, Redwall, (1986) 2002

Untrained human nature was not frank and innocent; it was full of the twists and defences of an instinctive guile. —Edith Wharton, The Age of Innocence, 1920

a shady salesman who usually relies on a combination of quick thinking and guile

a person so full of guile he can't even be trusted to give you the correct time of day

Recent Examples on the Web

Age and guile, as the old saying goes, beat youth and skill every time. — Peter Lucas, Boston Herald, 4 June 2026

Even at 35, the German has the guile to make an impact in the Premier League. — Andy Naylor, New York Times, 15 June 2026

What was once done by indirection and guile is now carried with the high hand, in the face of day, at the mouth of the cannon and by the edge of the sabre of the nation. — Jake Lundberg, The Atlantic, 12 Feb. 2026

Matching Casey and Frank’s guile is Philomac’s untested self-confidence. — Ritesh Mehta, IndieWire, 20 Feb. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English gile, from Anglo-French, probably of Germanic origin; akin to Old English wigle divination — more at witch

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for guile

• aisle
• bile
• chyle
• file
• heil
• isle
• kyle
• mile
• pile
• rile
• smile
• stile

Kids Definition

guile

noun

ˈgī(ə)l 

: sly trickery : duplicity

guileful

-fəl 

adjective