Synonyms of guile
1
: deceitful cunning : duplicity
a war that called for guile rather than firepower
2
obsolete : stratagem, trick
guileful adjective
guilefully adverb
guilefulness noun

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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
While the Heat have a variety of youthful options in their backcourt hierarchy ahead of Young, from the defensive guile of Davion Mitchell, to the youthful creativity of Kasparas Jakucionis, to the veteran steadiness of Dru Smith, Young is the type of speed guard rarely featured by the franchise. Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 17 Feb. 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 The Hornets showed some guile, climbing out of a cavernous 22-point deficit that was a direct result of too many turnovers, a lack of defensive intensity and yielding a flurry of 30 first-half points in the paint. Roderick Boone, Charlotte Observer, 3 Feb. 2026 Brentford are one of the league’s most effective counter-attacking sides, but can lack guile against deep-lying opponents. James McNicholas, New York Times, 31 Jan. 2026 See All Example Sentences for guile

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of guile was in the 13th century

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Cite this Entry

“Guile.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/guile. Accessed 26 Feb. 2026.

Kids Definition

guile

noun
: sly trickery : duplicity
guileful adjective

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