as in cunning
skill in achieving one's ends through indirect, subtle, or underhanded means
we were both impressed and outraged by the expert slickness with which the swindler fooled us
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of slickness
He was ruled offside, but the poor timing of his run takes nothing away from the slickness of the combination, nor the effectiveness of the tactic.
—
Liam Tharme, New York Times, 28 Oct. 2025
Still working through residual resentments from last year, her lyrics this cycle often clash with the careful slickness of the production.
—Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 3 Oct. 2025
Untouched by any chain stores or contemporary slickness, the neighborhood’s highlights include the Tea House on Los Rios inside a 1911 Victorian, cottage-like Hummingbird House Cafe and Hidden House Coffee found inside a Craftsman.
—Staff Report, Oc Register, 17 Sep. 2025
There’s a slickness about the style of everyone who lives here, and Missy captures that.
—Robyn Mowatt, Essence, 9 Sep. 2025
Liam Tharme, New York Times, 28 Oct. 2025
Still working through residual resentments from last year, her lyrics this cycle often clash with the careful slickness of the production.
—Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 3 Oct. 2025
Untouched by any chain stores or contemporary slickness, the neighborhood’s highlights include the Tea House on Los Rios inside a 1911 Victorian, cottage-like Hummingbird House Cafe and Hidden House Coffee found inside a Craftsman.
—Staff Report, Oc Register, 17 Sep. 2025
There’s a slickness about the style of everyone who lives here, and Missy captures that.
—Robyn Mowatt, Essence, 9 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for slickness
Noun
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The story follows Toto, an almost completely blind cat with incredible ninja skills, who must use her courage and cunning to stop a deadly King Cobra that has escaped onto the streets of London, alongside her cheeky brother Silver.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
21 Oct. 2025
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Federico Marchetti, the Italian fashion entrepreneur, is a master of sprezzatura—the courtier’s art of cloaking ambition and cunning in an air of guileless nonchalance.—
John Seabrook,
New Yorker,
29 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Written by Noah Oppenheim (Jackie, Zero Day), A House of Dynamite is a film of sturdy direction saddled with a clumsy script that delivers exposition with all the subtlety of a falling piano.—
Nicholas Quah,
Vulture,
24 Oct. 2025
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The actors who began appearing on marquees — Schwarzenegger, Stallone, Willis, Gibson, Cruise — weren’t celebrated for subtlety or transformation or their onscreen bravery, but for their box office clout.—
Benjamin Svetkey,
HollywoodReporter,
22 Oct. 2025
Noun
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There is a real seriousness to the score — the scheming bad-guy music has the artfulness of Prokofiev, and even the sneaking-around cues have musical integrity and structure.—
Tim Greiving,
Vulture,
3 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Ay, the superb slyness of that last response!—
Anthony Lane,
New Yorker,
8 Sep. 2025
Noun
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These trips are typically two to five days, and take place close to home to minimize travel time and maximize ease.—
Jim Augerinos,
Travel + Leisure,
31 Oct. 2025
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As a result, Farrell has now become one of our most versatile actors, able to switch genres and types with seeming ease.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
30 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Creativity was sorely lacking last season, with the side mustering the lowest xG of any side to avoid relegation, but now an attacking midfield trident of Grealish, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and Iliman Ndiaye brims with promise and guile.—
Patrick Boyland,
New York Times,
15 Sep. 2025
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In between is a huge chessboard for honing skills of strategy and guile while catching a tan.—
Mark David,
Robb Report,
4 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Slickness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/slickness. Accessed 4 Nov. 2025.
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