Synonym Chooser

How is the word foxy distinct from other similar adjectives?

Some common synonyms of foxy are artful, crafty, cunning, slick, sly, tricky, and wily. While all these words mean "attaining or seeking to attain one's ends by guileful or devious means," foxy implies a shrewd and wary craftiness usually involving devious dealing.

a foxy publicity man planting stories

When could artful be used to replace foxy?

While the synonyms artful and foxy are close in meaning, artful implies indirectness in dealing and often connotes sophistication or cleverness.

elicited the information by artful questioning

When is it sensible to use crafty instead of foxy?

The words crafty and foxy can be used in similar contexts, but crafty implies cleverness and subtlety of method.

a crafty lefthander

When might cunning be a better fit than foxy?

In some situations, the words cunning and foxy are roughly equivalent. However, cunning suggests the inventive use of sometimes limited intelligence in overreaching or circumventing.

the cunning fox avoided the trap

When can slick be used instead of foxy?

While in some cases nearly identical to foxy, slick emphasizes smoothness and guile.

slick operators selling time-sharing

Where would sly be a reasonable alternative to foxy?

The meanings of sly and foxy largely overlap; however, sly implies furtiveness, lack of candor, and skill in concealing one's aims and methods.

a sly corporate raider

In what contexts can tricky take the place of foxy?

The words tricky and foxy are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, tricky is more likely to suggest shiftiness and unreliability than skill in deception and maneuvering.

a tricky political operative

When would wily be a good substitute for foxy?

The synonyms wily and foxy are sometimes interchangeable, but wily implies skill and deception in maneuvering.

the wily fugitive escaped the posse

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of foxy With a lady photographer and a foxy actress named, incredibly, Poupee Bocar, K. & I sneak aboard the People’s Train for a day at Machu Picchu. Tom Burke, Rolling Stone, 29 Sep. 2024 And the foxy new name has slowly but surely taken the already-popular shade of red hair to a new height of ubiquity. Nicola Dall'asen, Allure, 28 Sep. 2024 Thereza Wright-Morris This foxy lady is the wife of Dallas Mavericks power forward and NBA champion Markieff Morris. Victoria Uwumarogie, Essence, 6 June 2024 Kors himself joined the actress on the red carpet in a classic, low-key tuxedo, allowing Zendaya all the spotlight for this foxy moment. Taijuan Moorman, USA TODAY, 30 Apr. 2024 See All Example Sentences for foxy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for foxy
Adjective
  • The brand’s Deep Trance Corduroy Pants are also a cute option to wear with some boots and a pea or trench coat this season.
    Shawna Hudson, StyleCaster, 3 Oct. 2025
  • Best Toy for Imaginative Play Plant the seeds of creative play with this trio of plush toy veggies that are too cute to eat.
    Pamela Brill, Parents, 2 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • Maigret must outwit some of Paris’s most cunning and violent criminals, while dealing with his own troubled past.
    Jessica Radloff, Glamour, 1 Oct. 2025
  • These subsidies were cunning, part of a decades-long effort to keep alive the myths that offshore wind energy is nearly self-sufficient and generates increasingly inexpensive electricity.
    Craig Rucker, Boston Herald, 26 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • In a subtler interpretation of the trend, the Jazz bookshelf is handcrafted in oak that takes on a golden hue when hit with the right light.
    Rachel Gallaher, Robb Report, 4 Oct. 2025
  • Cohen and other researchers have identified many subtle fixes that improve kids’ eating habits.
    Jessica Winter, New Yorker, 4 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Foxy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/foxy. Accessed 10 Oct. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on foxy

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