1
as in cunning
skill in achieving one's ends through indirect, subtle, or underhanded means
he had an inherent guilefulness that made him a formidable power broker in Washington
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in deception
the inclination or practice of misleading others through lies or trickery
it was guilefulness and not goodness that got the gold digger her millions
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for guilefulness
Noun
-
Neither his fearsome resolve nor his supreme cunning—which had enabled him to vanquish his rivals and spiritually crush his inner circle—was in evidence in 1941.—
Stephen Kotkin,
Foreign Affairs,
19 Sep. 2017 -
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
Noun
-
Through shocking testimonies from government insiders, confidential documents, and private audio recordings from the highest level of the military, BODYGUARD OF LIES exposes the tangled web of deception fed to the American public by the U.S. government during its 20-year war in Afghanistan.—
Matthew Carey,
Deadline,
7 May 2025
-
Mauriello, a senior lecturer at the University of Maryland, said in his experience, people's sympathetic nervous system could be activated by a host of reasons — beyond deception.—
Juliana Kim,
NPR,
30 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
On fashion’s most theatrical night, Khan’s look achieved its impact through its (relative) subtlety.—
Manglien Gangte,
Vogue,
6 May 2025
-
The people who insist on making sense speak in small, prim voices, trusting their listeners to understand subtleties of tone.—
Vinson Cunningham,
New Yorker,
5 May 2025
Noun
-
The suspect was arrested in Florida in March on robbery and fraud charges, before being extradited to Louisiana, the news agency stated.—
Becca Longmire,
People.com,
16 May 2025
-
UnitedHealth Group is under a Department of Justice criminal probe for possible criminal Medicare fraud related to its Medicare Advantage business, according to the Wall Street Journal.—
Medora Lee,
USA Today,
16 May 2025
Noun
-
In Towards Zero, Rhys plays a troubled detective who tries to untangle a toxic web of jealousy, deceit and dysfunction.—
Brianne Tracy,
People.com,
29 Apr. 2025
-
But today, finally, Santos has been held accountable for his years of fraud, deceit and theft.—
Barnini Chakraborty,
The Washington Examiner,
25 Apr. 2025
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Cite this Entry
“Guilefulness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/guilefulness. Accessed 21 May. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share