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
Matching Casey and Frank’s guile is Philomac’s untested self-confidence.
—
Ritesh Mehta, IndieWire, 20 Feb. 2026
While the Heat have a variety of youthful options in their backcourt hierarchy ahead of Young, from the defensive guile of Davion Mitchell, to the youthful creativity of Kasparas Jakucionis, to the veteran steadiness of Dru Smith, Young is the type of speed guard rarely featured by the franchise.
—Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 17 Feb. 2026
What was once done by indirection and guile is now carried with the high hand, in the face of day, at the mouth of the cannon and by the edge of the sabre of the nation.
—Jake Lundberg, The Atlantic, 12 Feb. 2026
The Hornets showed some guile, climbing out of a cavernous 22-point deficit that was a direct result of too many turnovers, a lack of defensive intensity and yielding a flurry of 30 first-half points in the paint.
—Roderick Boone, Charlotte Observer, 3 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for guile
Ritesh Mehta, IndieWire, 20 Feb. 2026
While the Heat have a variety of youthful options in their backcourt hierarchy ahead of Young, from the defensive guile of Davion Mitchell, to the youthful creativity of Kasparas Jakucionis, to the veteran steadiness of Dru Smith, Young is the type of speed guard rarely featured by the franchise.
—Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 17 Feb. 2026
What was once done by indirection and guile is now carried with the high hand, in the face of day, at the mouth of the cannon and by the edge of the sabre of the nation.
—Jake Lundberg, The Atlantic, 12 Feb. 2026
The Hornets showed some guile, climbing out of a cavernous 22-point deficit that was a direct result of too many turnovers, a lack of defensive intensity and yielding a flurry of 30 first-half points in the paint.
—Roderick Boone, Charlotte Observer, 3 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for guile
Recent Examples of Synonyms for guile
Noun
-
Maybe the mere fact of having been born illustrious, with no apparent faults, with nothing to prove or to be ashamed of, had liberated John from the resentments the rest of us feel, and from the cunning and ambition such resentments fuel.—
Jeffrey Eugenides,
New Yorker,
4 Apr. 2026
-
The Brazil international combines technical craft with a decisive cunning.—
Carl Anka,
New York Times,
21 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
What begins as a small con deepens when the painter’s shrewd agent (Gilles Lellouche) spots an opportunity, encouraging Suzanne to continue the deception as a way to revive his client’s creativity — and bankroll them both.—
Scott Roxborough,
HollywoodReporter,
12 May 2026
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Olivia Beech, America’s youngest female sommelier, tragically lost her sense of taste during COVID, but relied on her sharp sense of smell until she was fired for her deception.—
Paula L. Woods,
Los Angeles Times,
12 May 2026
Noun
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The Silicon Valley case remains the center of attention, focused on a 2024 lawsuit filed by Elon Musk that accuses OpenAI of alleged deceit in taking millions from the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX while operating as a nonprofit, only to later pivot into a for-profit enterprise.—
John Kell,
Fortune,
13 May 2026
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There's everything from resentment to jealousy, favouritism, and deceit swirling around in a boiling-hot cauldron where fair is foul and foul is fair.—
Sergio Pereira,
Space.com,
6 May 2026
Noun
-
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
-
Beyond the deceptiveness of the narrow material view, spiritual light and hope are always present to be found and felt.—
Sue Brightman,
Christian Science Monitor,
3 Jan. 2025
Noun
-
Antisocial personality includes a persistent pattern of traits such as callousness, lack of concern, deceitfulness, and irresponsibility, Ryan said.—
Harriet Ramos,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
29 Apr. 2026
-
Perfidy — from the French perfidie via the Latin perfidia — means deceitfulness, treachery or a breach of faith or promise.—
Harmeet Kaur,
CNN Money,
21 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Cerner is not aware of identity theft or fraud related to Atrium Health patient data.—
Charlotte Observer,
Charlotte Observer,
8 May 2026
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The Ramsey County Attorney’s Office on Thursday charged Brian Ramos, 25, of Edina, the owner of a roofing subcontractor known as Liminis Remodeling and Exteriors with two felony counts of worker’s compensation insurance premium fraud.—
Kristi Miller,
Twin Cities,
8 May 2026
Noun
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But, Keoghan said, the masses primarily only saw the first video, which fueled the widespread cheating rumors about him.—
Rachel Raposas,
PEOPLE,
28 Apr. 2026
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But even for in-person classes, adaptations to prevent LLM cheating are often concessions that reduce pedagogical quality.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
13 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Guile.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/guile. Accessed 15 May. 2026.
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