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
Whatever Van Nistelrooy has seen in training that has left him using the young Argentine so sparingly must be serious because the Brighton loanee is a player with guile and graft.
—
Rob Tanner, The Athletic, 21 Feb. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for guile
Rob Tanner, The Athletic, 21 Feb. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for guile
Recent Examples of Synonyms for guile
Noun
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On the other end of the spectrum was the more docile Kelly who often felt conflicted when her morals clashed with the cunning needed to succeed in the game.—
Nick Caruso,
TVLine,
27 May 2025
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But Waltz also advocated for further diplomatically isolating President Vladimir Putin — a position that was out of step with Trump, who has viewed the Russian leader, at moments, with admiration for his cunning in dealings with Trump’s predecessors.—
Matthew Lee,
Chicago Tribune,
24 May 2025
Noun
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But these seductions or deceptions are canceled when the work confronts us with the photographic records of the performative procedure itself—and not only by making the photograph an integral component, the dialectical complement to the material sculptural production.—
Benjamin H. D. Buchloh,
Artforum,
1 June 2025
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He’s got some deception on the puck and does a good job holding onto it to wait for secondary options to open up, but slows the game down too much.—
Scott Wheeler,
New York Times,
29 May 2025
Noun
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None of these spring explorations of sisterly deceit and self-deception has been able to surpass Apple TV+’s Bad Sisters as the recent genre peak.—
Daniel Fienberg,
HollywoodReporter,
28 May 2025
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Starring Tom Cruise, the movies are loaded with action, deceit and globe-spanning adventures – everything a good spy film should be.—
Keith Langston,
People.com,
24 May 2025
Noun
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More than £46 billion in loans had been disbursed by various lenders through the scheme, according to the Department for Business and Trade, but the agency also admitted there had been more than 100,000 cases of loss due to fraud and error.—
Robert Olsen,
Forbes.com,
28 May 2025
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What did Todd and Julie Chrisley go to prison for? After nearly a decade on air, the pair faced legal trouble for a number of bank and tax fraud offenses.—
Solcyré Burga,
Time,
28 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Guile.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/guile. Accessed 10 Jun. 2025.
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