as in ruses
a clever often underhanded means to achieve an end
had to use all of her wiles to convince her guests to stay for dinner
Synonyms & Similar Words
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as in charms
to attract or delight as if by magic
her stories of the Old South could wile anyone
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of wiles
Chris Snellgrove, Entertainment Weekly, 26 Dec. 2025
That Hedda has forged such a life for herself is a testament to her wiles — no one is more adept at delivering acidic barbs cloaked by a friendly hand on the shoulder.
—Abby Monteil, Them., 28 Oct. 2025
Seeing Laura’s discomfort with her, Cherry employs her feminine wiles to cause a fracture in Laura and Daniel’s connection.
—Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 10 Sep. 2025
Noun
Determined to find their way back to their humans, the wise Shadow, the sarcastic Sassy, and the impulsive Chance attempt to navigate their way home using only their wiles and each other.
—Chris Snellgrove, Entertainment Weekly, 26 Dec. 2025
That Hedda has forged such a life for herself is a testament to her wiles — no one is more adept at delivering acidic barbs cloaked by a friendly hand on the shoulder.
—Abby Monteil, Them., 28 Oct. 2025
Seeing Laura’s discomfort with her, Cherry employs her feminine wiles to cause a fracture in Laura and Daniel’s connection.
—Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 10 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wiles
Noun
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The New York Colored American reported that some offers of short-term work for Black men — moving livestock to or from Kentucky, for example — were ruses that ended with kidnappings.—
Equal Justice Initiative,
USA Today,
6 Nov. 2025
-
Many suspect a spam call and don't pick up the phone, leading foundation staff to sometimes devise ruses.—
Kelly Meyerhofer,
jsonline.com,
8 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Although there may not be snow on the ground, the area still charms with its Alpine vistas, green meadows, and waterfalls, such as Staubbach Falls, the third-highest waterfall in Switzerland.—
Lydia Mansel,
Travel + Leisure,
28 Dec. 2025
-
Yerin Ha joins the cast as Sophie, a maid who charms the noble Benedict.—
Randall Colburn,
Entertainment Weekly,
22 Dec. 2025
Noun
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The 40-year-old cooks up ways to make quarterbacks miserable in his sleep, devising schemes that are meant to lure as much as they are intended to confuse.—
Dana O’Neil,
CNN Money,
10 Jan. 2026
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More than 90 people, most with ties to the state’s Somali community, have been charged in fraud schemes targeting social services.—
Kaelan Deese,
The Washington Examiner,
9 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
SciAm always educates and delights me, and inspires a sense of awe for our vast, beautiful universe.—
David M. Ewalt,
Scientific American,
7 Nov. 2025
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Every year, the actor surprises and delights us with her choice of costume, paying homage to Pamela Anderson one year and channeling Queen Amidala the next.—
Kara Nesvig,
Allure,
27 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Samsung says the sensor targets users who want professional-grade imaging from mobile devices.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
10 Jan. 2026
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Speaking to gadgets is often faster than typing, but Amazon and Nirva also see their devices as another means to gather data that can provide insights about a user’s life, though doing so will surely raise privacy concerns.—
Lisa Eadicicco,
CNN Money,
10 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Then there’s the story of life, which also really fascinates me.—
David Canfield,
HollywoodReporter,
22 Dec. 2025
-
Kafka’s work still fascinates readers — like Polish filmmaking legend Holland.—
Carole Horst,
Variety,
10 Dec. 2025
Noun
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Cherki is visibly excited by his spectators, eager to show off his tricks, until a coach comes into frame on the YouTube video and tells them their fun is over.—
Jordan Campbell,
New York Times,
8 Nov. 2025
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Cheo was a jokester and would play tricks on her, like pretending to be asleep, to lighten the mood.—
Kevin G. Hall,
Miami Herald,
7 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Click on the parlay hub or go to and individual matchup that interests you to find popular options.—
Tyler Everett,
MSNBC Newsweek,
5 Nov. 2025
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Because the books cover the story of the Ozarks region from prehistoric times to the 21st century, readers are likely to find a little something about any part of regional history that interests them.—
Becca Martin-Brown,
Arkansas Online,
29 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Wiles.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wiles. Accessed 10 Jan. 2026.
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