SLYLY Synonyms: 46 Similar and Opposite Words

slyly

adverb

variants also slily

Definition of slyly

as in cunningly

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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.

Recent Examples of slyly The exhibition’s framing of Hamdi as the conscientious Orientalist feels slyly designed to disarm judgment of his work, and even to neutralize his professional misdeeds. — Zachary Fine, New Yorker, 13 July 2026 The community had a tiny selection of English-language VHS tapes and DVDs, along with a VCR, which was passed around family to family, slyly at first. — Eythana Miller, The Dial, 23 June 2026 The following citations relate to the abuse of black Americans, whose enslavement was slyly written into the Constitution. — Ann Manov, Harpers Magazine, 23 June 2026 Making a comeback on the Milan men’s calendar after a decade’s absence and under new ownership, Caruso made a big impression with its breezy and slyly nonchalant tailoring done up in an arresting array of unusual colors. — Luisa Zargani, Footwear News, 22 June 2026 Harron slyly transforms it into a savage social satire, using the narrator’s unreliable point of view to borderline absurdist effect. — Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 9 June 2026 Filled with dark humor, Zhang’s satire slyly weaves in observations about race, privilege, and social media. — Literary Hub, 19 May 2026 In full costume, the guys slyly walk away with money bags without being made. — Taylor Ardrey, USA Today, 15 May 2026 The country star was slyly announced with the release of the weekend two schedule. — Steven J. Horowitz, Variety, 15 Apr. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for slyly

Adverb

But cunningly, in the years since 1945—and responsibly and rightly, too—the United States put together a system where most of the other strong countries were also friends.

— David Frum, The Atlantic, 8 Apr. 2026
Instead of kings and queens cunningly maneuvering their armies against their enemies, there’s only an ox of a man and a bald little boy, neither of whom exhibits a clearly superior intellect.

— Ben Travers, IndieWire, 13 Jan. 2026

Definition of cunningly

Adverb

As the only standalone English track of the album, its lyrics speak of a situationship so suspended in uncertainty that Selines craftily matched it with the sonic sensation of floating into outer space.

— Andrea Flores, Los Angeles Times, 1 July 2026
Some players struggled against the size of bigger and stronger players, while others craftily created space with deft footwork and manipulation.

— Devin Robertson, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 Aug. 2025

Definition of craftily

Adverb

At the combine, as executives and scouts furrowed their brows and furtively took notes, Mann and I stood on the concourse, watching team personnel watch prospects work out.

— Brady Brickner-Wood, New Yorker, 4 June 2026
Unlike Monday's burial for Princess Irene, which follows a Saturday prayer service in Madrid and a funeral Monday at Metropolitan Cathedral of Athens, the Tatoi interment for Sofia's mother, Queen Federica of Greece, was not official, and took place almost furtively.

— Diego Parrado, Vanity Fair, 18 Jan. 2026

Definition of furtively

Adverb

That virtue is undermined here by leads with minimal chemistry, one of them inexpressive and the other archly theatrical, by design if not to rewarding effect.

— David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 21 May 2026
The show, which followed a crooked New Mexican lawyer, played by Bob Odenkirk, was an archly funny drama, shot partly in gritty black-and-white.

— Rachel Syme, New Yorker, 29 Sep. 2025

Definition of archly

Adverb

The experiment is that AI is being made available nationally and globally, which is either overtly or insidiously acting to provide mental health guidance of one kind or another.

— Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 24 May 2026
Often nearly invisible to the naked eye, microplastics have insidiously found their way into people’s lungs, arterial plaques and brains through food, air and water, researchers have found.

— Kate Nishimura, Footwear News, 7 Apr. 2026

Definition of insidiously

Adverb

Georgia, after establishing herself as a non-hands-washer last year (and doubling down over and over again), decided to sharply pivot to become a maven of cleanliness.

— Tom Smyth, Vulture, 9 July 2026
Each path promises the same payoff, consistent cold-water immersion for recovery, stress management and mental resilience, but the setup costs, maintenance demands and daily user experience diverge sharply.

— Samantha Agate, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 9 July 2026

Definition of sharply

Adverb

While the new episodes don’t offer quite the same depth of character or adrenaline rush as the original, the show remains a sharply observed, virtuosically acted, and artfully shot study of human behavior at its ugliest.

— Judy Berman, Time, 8 July 2026
The result is a bed that looks tidy and composed rather than slept-in—artfully arranged, and frankly, a little pleased with its own posture.

— Julia Harrison, Architectural Digest, 1 July 2026

Definition of artfully

Adverb

Reaching the island is all part of the fun too, requiring you to hop aboard a vintage, slickly varnished wooden boat at Balmaha and schedule a pick-up time for the way back.

— Rosie Conroy, Condé Nast Traveler, 31 Mar. 2026
Out with the clunky old 20th-century contractors making fighter jets, say Democrats and Republicans alike — and in with the venture-backed, slickly marketed, innovative new companies selling the silent drones, surveillance software, and cheap missiles of 21st-century combat.

— Ben Smith, semafor.com, 3 Nov. 2025

Definition of slickly

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slyboots

slyly

slyness

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“Slyly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/slyly. Accessed 17 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of slyly

adverb

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