sneaky

adjective

ˈsnē-kē 

sneakier; sneakiest

: marked by stealth, furtiveness, or shiftiness

a sneaky trick

sneakily

ˈsnē-kə-lē 

adverb

sneakiness

ˈsnē-kē-nəs 

noun

Synonyms of sneaky

• shady
• sly
• stealthy

Examples of sneaky in a Sentence

They make it look like you're getting a lot more than you really are. It's a sneaky trick.

It's a sneaky way of getting people to buy something they don't need.

Recent Examples on the Web

One of Braun’s strengths is an almost sneaky explosiveness combined with reckless abandon — whether sprinting on run-outs, squirting free on back-door cuts, throwing his body into the paint, or rising high to finish open looks from beyond the arc. — Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 25 Aug. 2026

Even if Jacobs gets the majority of goal-line work, Lloyd could be a sneaky RB3/Flex. — Jake Ciely, New York Times, 21 Aug. 2026

Pleasants has the temperament and a sneaky-enough anchor to play on the interior, but the Niners can’t even rep him at guard right now. — Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 17 Aug. 2026

Worse still, the messages can be encoded such that a human trying to figure out what is going on will be unable to decode the sneaky digital traffic. — Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1833, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for sneaky

• cheeky
• creaky
• freaky
• kiki
• leaky
• squeaky
• streaky

Kids Definition

sneaky

adjective

ˈsnē-kē 

sneakier; sneakiest

1

: behaving in a sly or secret manner

2

: marked by secrecy or slyness

a sneaky trick

sneakily

-kə-lē 

adverb

sneakiness

-kē-nəs 

noun