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
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Recent Examples of wiles
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
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
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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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First stop is the Skiatook Municipal Courthouse, where Wendell charms an exhausted clerk into finding him an atlas from before 1950.—
Amanda Whiting,
Vulture,
15 Oct. 2025
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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,
11 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
The new season finds the Shazam moving company battling corporate giant Zenithon Logistics, while Everett (Jae) drags the team through increasingly desperate schemes such as insurance scams, bogus grant applications and a basement AirBnb conversion gone wrong.—
Jesse Whittock,
Deadline,
6 Nov. 2025
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The company now has a consumer alert on its website warning visitors of such schemes.—
Emily Lorsch,
NBC news,
6 Nov. 2025
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
-
Since launching in 2012, Candy Crush Saga has remained one of the most popular games on mobile devices, accruing millions of daily players.—
Christopher Cruz,
Rolling Stone,
6 Nov. 2025
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On the hardware side over 10+ million devices have been built around a recovery phrase by default, entrenching a market expectation in which seed phrases are the go-to recovery method, even as some vendors add alternatives.—
Wyles Daniel,
USA Today,
6 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
It’s set in the early 80s, which is a period that fascinates me.—
Andreas Wiseman,
Deadline,
23 Oct. 2025
-
Ange Postecoglou fascinates me.—
Phil Hay,
New York Times,
10 Oct. 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 12 Nov. 2025.
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