wily

adjective

ˈwī-lē 

wilier; wiliest

: full of wiles : crafty

a wily negotiator

wilily

ˈwī-lə-lē 

adverb

wiliness

ˈwī-lē-nəs 

noun

Synonyms of wily

• cunning
• cute
• slick

Choose the Right Synonym for wily

sly, cunning, crafty, wily, tricky, foxy, artful, slick mean attaining or seeking to attain one's ends by guileful or devious means.

sly implies furtiveness, lack of candor, and skill in concealing one's aims and methods.

a sly corporate raider

cunning suggests the inventive use of sometimes limited intelligence in overreaching or circumventing.

the cunning fox avoided the trap

crafty implies cleverness and subtlety of method.

a crafty lefthander

wily implies skill and deception in maneuvering.

the wily fugitive escaped the posse

tricky is more likely to suggest shiftiness and unreliability than skill in deception and maneuvering.

a tricky political operative

foxy implies a shrewd and wary craftiness usually involving devious dealing.

a foxy publicity man planting stories

artful implies indirectness in dealing and often connotes sophistication or cleverness.

elicited the information by artful questioning

slick emphasizes smoothness and guile.

slick operators selling time-sharing

Examples of wily in a Sentence

She turned out to be a wily negotiator.

a wily judge of character, she takes advantage of car buyers' insecurities to sell them a bigger machine than they really need

Recent Examples on the Web

As ever, Novak Djokovic enters the tournament as the elusive and unpredictable spoiler: capable of beating anyone on a good day; capable of being upset by a wily upstart on a bad day. —Corey Seymour, Vogue, 18 Jan. 2026

The girls’ depictions also owes a debt to the wily, precocious protagonists of children’s literature, from the perpetually home-alone Pippi Longstocking to those eccentric enrollees at Louis Sachar’s Wayside School series. —Niela Orr, Vulture, 13 Jan. 2026

Tony Jefferson, the wily vet, was everywhere. —Nick Canepa, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 Jan. 2026

Authorities, including the Huntington Beach Police Department, say coyote mating season is a time to be more cautious about the wily canines that live among us. —Karen Garcia, Los Angeles Times, 9 Jan. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for wily

• dryly
• highly
• kiley
• shyly
• slyly
• smiley
• wryly

Kids Definition

wily

adjective

ˈwī-lē 

wilier; wiliest

: full of deceit : tricky

a wily opponent

wiliness noun