1
as in cunning
skill in achieving one's ends through indirect, subtle, or underhanded means
a shady salesman who usually relies on a combination of quick thinking and guile
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2
as in deception
the inclination or practice of misleading others through lies or trickery
a person so full of guile he can't even be trusted to give you the correct time of day
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of guile
Raducanu and Alcaraz’s partnership is neat, but their doubles skills might come undone against Pegula, who has been here before, and Draper’s lefty guile in the opening round.
—
Matthew Futterman, New York Times, 19 Aug. 2025
Opening pages show Toews’ characteristic wit and guile squaring off against extraordinary pain.
—Literary Hub
july 1, Literary Hub, 1 July 2025
This would be somewhat of a raw reach, a player who could get by early with his attacking and defensive guile.
—Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 19 June 2025
It’s also shown a bit of cleverness and guile, which, yes, is a very good thing, indeed.
—The Editors, National Review, 16 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for guile
Matthew Futterman, New York Times, 19 Aug. 2025
Opening pages show Toews’ characteristic wit and guile squaring off against extraordinary pain.
—Literary Hub
july 1, Literary Hub, 1 July 2025
This would be somewhat of a raw reach, a player who could get by early with his attacking and defensive guile.
—Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 19 June 2025
It’s also shown a bit of cleverness and guile, which, yes, is a very good thing, indeed.
—The Editors, National Review, 16 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for guile
Recent Examples of Synonyms for guile
Noun
-
Luke Shaw’s technique and cunning at centre-back deserved to be better rewarded.—
Laurie Whitwell,
New York Times,
18 Aug. 2025
-
Others praised the pup's cunning.—
Alice Gibbs,
MSNBC Newsweek,
18 Aug. 2025
Noun
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Interestingly, men, not women, were more open to benevolent deception.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes.com,
1 Sep. 2025
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The movie, with Baranov as its scoundrel tour guide, works its way through some of 21st century Russia’s greatest hits of deception.—
Owen Gleiberman,
Variety,
31 Aug. 2025
Noun
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His lurid saga — set in the tropics, the plot revolving around deceit and a dead body — would be just the sort of onscreen story PMI specialized in financing.—
Gary Baum,
HollywoodReporter,
3 Sep. 2025
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And in a world where time is money, conditions are ripe for a perfect storm of greed, deceit, and willful gullibility—all in the hope of getting ahead faster than the rest.—
Luis E. Romero,
Forbes.com,
27 Aug. 2025
Noun
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Of course, the retort is that this would be irritating and exasperating to be continually deluged with alerts about AI deceptiveness.—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes.com,
24 Aug. 2025
Noun
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Julie and Todd were found guilty of conspiracy to commit bank fraud, conspiracy to defraud the United States and tax fraud in June 2022, while Julie was also found guilty of wire fraud.—
Rachel Raposas,
PEOPLE,
7 Sep. 2025
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The election is complicated by the fact that Brown faces felony fraud charges.—
Josh Bergeron,
Charlotte Observer,
7 Sep. 2025
Noun
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When yet another affair is discovered (Kate Upton), all three women team up to plot mutual revenge on their cheating, lying, three-timing SOB.—
Caitlin White,
Variety,
2 Sep. 2025
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Byron had his arms wrapped around the company's HR chief, Kristin Cabot, and subsequently faced cheating allegations after they were spotted on the jumbotron.—
Megan Cartwright,
MSNBC Newsweek,
1 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Guile.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/guile. Accessed 8 Sep. 2025.
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