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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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
The former Watford midfielder brings energy to the press but lacks guile, and with his contract up at the end of the season, the 32-year-old looks like a stop-gap.
—
Patrick Boyland, The Athletic, 22 Jan. 2025
Chelsea are relentless, though, and attack with a mixture of pace, power and guile through their dynamic front three.
—Stuart James, The Athletic, 17 Jan. 2025
The 19-year-old, ranked No. 54 in the world, hammered down 14 aces in an impressively confident display of power and guile in what was by far the biggest moment of his young career.
—Matias Grez, CNN Money, 31 Mar. 2025
But here, Gyllenhaal mesmerizes in a career-best performance that taps into the infinite well of his talent, portraying Iago’s scorching resentment, guile and humor.
—Patrick Ryan, USA TODAY, 24 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for guile
Patrick Boyland, The Athletic, 22 Jan. 2025
Chelsea are relentless, though, and attack with a mixture of pace, power and guile through their dynamic front three.
—Stuart James, The Athletic, 17 Jan. 2025
The 19-year-old, ranked No. 54 in the world, hammered down 14 aces in an impressively confident display of power and guile in what was by far the biggest moment of his young career.
—Matias Grez, CNN Money, 31 Mar. 2025
But here, Gyllenhaal mesmerizes in a career-best performance that taps into the infinite well of his talent, portraying Iago’s scorching resentment, guile and humor.
—Patrick Ryan, USA TODAY, 24 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for guile
Recent Examples of Synonyms for guile
Noun
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Despite being outnumbered 50-to-1 by the Five Families of the Italian mafia, the Westies’ legendary brutality and cunning have given them the leverage necessary to share the spoils through a fragile détente.—
Nellie Andreeva,
Deadline,
18 Mar. 2025
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Noted for his tenacity and cunning, Khamenei is also a man of conviction, and his hatred for the United States is deeply felt.—
Foreign Affairs,
Foreign Affairs,
25 Feb. 2025
Noun
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In another case, Balmer pleaded guilty in 2016 to forgery and theft by deception charges, court documents show.—
Zoe Sottile,
CNN Money,
14 Apr. 2025
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Imposter syndrome is an internal struggle with feeling like a fraud despite being qualified, whereas career catfishing is an active deception.—
Cheryl Robinson,
Forbes.com,
13 Apr. 2025
Noun
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The deceit and deception is positively intoxicating to this longtime reality competition fan.—
Dalton Ross,
EW.com,
27 Mar. 2025
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The campaign registers domains that are close enough to legitimate websites to trick users into clicking, or at least to stop them flagging the deceit.—
Zak Doffman,
Forbes,
12 Mar. 2025
Noun
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The man who brought up the accusation of welfare fraud, who admitted to working for Alite's former boss John Gotti Jr., left the room, leaving a packet of handouts on a seat on his way out.—
Olivia Liu,
USA Today,
23 Apr. 2025
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Trump wants Chris Krebs, former director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, to be investigated for declaring, after careful study of the 2020 election, that there was no election fraud.—
Tom Zirpoli,
Baltimore Sun,
22 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Guile.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/guile. Accessed 28 Apr. 2025.
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