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
In between is a huge chessboard for honing skills of strategy and guile while catching a tan.
—
Mark David, Robb Report, 4 Sep. 2025
There are no traces of guile, cynicism, arrogance or duplicity.
—John T. Shaw, Chicago Tribune, 25 Aug. 2025
These assertions go beyond guile, opportunism, cruelty, despair, or self-preservation.
—Hussein Agha, New Yorker, 22 Aug. 2025
Former Heat Fades The 37-year-old right-hander, who broke in with Atlanta as NL Rookie of the Year in 2011, lacks his old velocity but compensates with a combination of guile and experience.
—Dan Schlossberg, Forbes.com, 22 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for guile
Mark David, Robb Report, 4 Sep. 2025
There are no traces of guile, cynicism, arrogance or duplicity.
—John T. Shaw, Chicago Tribune, 25 Aug. 2025
These assertions go beyond guile, opportunism, cruelty, despair, or self-preservation.
—Hussein Agha, New Yorker, 22 Aug. 2025
Former Heat Fades The 37-year-old right-hander, who broke in with Atlanta as NL Rookie of the Year in 2011, lacks his old velocity but compensates with a combination of guile and experience.
—Dan Schlossberg, Forbes.com, 22 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for guile
Recent Examples of Synonyms for guile
Noun
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Over thousands of years of history, our propaganda has repeatedly sought to portray ourselves as the plucky underdogs, surviving against huge physical odds by marshaling our intelligence and native cunning against the brute forces of nature.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
18 Feb. 2026
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Holding viewers by the throat for a handful of strong beats, even as the script slips through the entire cast’s fingers, the devilish actor sells Besson’s interpretation on charisma and cunning.—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
6 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Comte’s feature directorial debut follows Quebec teenager Antoine, who travels to Ghana for a showdown with Kojo, a local gang member, amid an escalating game of deception.—
Etan Vlessing,
HollywoodReporter,
16 Feb. 2026
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The Portage case is different, as the subcontractor and his co-conspirators are accused of deception in their failure to deliver the televisions to warehouses.—
Jim Woods,
Chicago Tribune,
15 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Such deceit is incompatible with public service.—
Diana Paulsen,
ABC News,
6 Feb. 2026
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But Prosecutor Ben Ladinig argued any grains of authenticity in Haobsh's life were far outweighed by deceit.—
Natalie Morales,
CBS News,
27 Jan. 2026
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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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
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This latest news comes just a few weeks after Mayweather filed a lawsuit against Showtime Networks and the former president of Showtime Sports, accusing the company of helping facilitate a fraud scheme that deprived him of roughly $340 million in earnings.—
Matt Schubert,
New York Times,
21 Feb. 2026
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The complaint notes that since 2023, five former executive officers have been indicted on federal charges including embezzlement, conspiracy, coercion, insurance fraud and related crimes.—
Judy L. Thomas,
Kansas City Star,
20 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Through punches and pummeling, cheating and cursing, their bond remained (mostly) intact.—
Jillian Sederholm,
Entertainment Weekly,
20 Feb. 2026
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The pandemic had pushed many educators into burnout, but where others saw artificial intelligence as a threat—a technology that facilitated student cheating—Roberts saw a tool to help her survive.—
Deni Ellis Béchard,
Scientific American,
17 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Guile.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/guile. Accessed 24 Feb. 2026.
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