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
Stewart Clarke, Deadline, 14 Apr. 2026
Jimin Han’s graceful novel reimagines the legend of Chunhyang and Mongryong, Korea’s version of Romeo and Juliet, as 30-year-old Dahee seeks to protect her cousin Channing from the wiles of a Korean American community in New England.
—Hamilton Cain, Time, 4 Apr. 2026
A’zion, as the protagonist’s married lover, who can match his manipulative wiles beat for beat, conveys an exciting, bittersweet sense of the wheels turning beneath deceptive surfaces.
—Richard Brody, New Yorker, 22 Jan. 2026
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
Noun
The format has an all-powerful ‘Taskmaster’ who, with the help of a loyal assistant, tests the wiles of a panel of comedians over the course of each series by setting them weird and wonderful challenges.
—Stewart Clarke, Deadline, 14 Apr. 2026
Jimin Han’s graceful novel reimagines the legend of Chunhyang and Mongryong, Korea’s version of Romeo and Juliet, as 30-year-old Dahee seeks to protect her cousin Channing from the wiles of a Korean American community in New England.
—Hamilton Cain, Time, 4 Apr. 2026
A’zion, as the protagonist’s married lover, who can match his manipulative wiles beat for beat, conveys an exciting, bittersweet sense of the wheels turning beneath deceptive surfaces.
—Richard Brody, New Yorker, 22 Jan. 2026
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
-
They are accused of using several ruses to force their way into people’s homes, assaulting unsuspecting residents and holding them hostage for their own money, and demanding access to their crypto accounts.—
Andy Rose,
CNN Money,
14 May 2026
-
Kids will quickly see through her ruses.—
Elise Broach,
New Yorker,
20 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Keep in mind, Venus and Jupiter can also contribute to financial growth or a deeper sense of abundance, while Venus in Leo charms your communication sector, whether through writing or your social life.—
Valerie Mesa,
PEOPLE,
1 June 2026
-
One part of the show that didn’t align with this viewpoint was the casting of Tanzyn Crawford as Tanselle, a traveling performer from Dorne who charms Dunk, and some on social media have griped about the actress being in the show.—
James Hibberd,
HollywoodReporter,
2 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Shakespeare’s comedies especially understand the joy of watching people get trapped in schemes and plots well beyond their control.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
2 June 2026
-
State regulators have suspended hundreds of hospice licenses amid allegations of fraudulent billing and phantom patient schemes.—
Sally Pipes,
Forbes.com,
1 June 2026
Verb
-
SciAm always educates and delights me, and inspires a sense of awe for our vast, beautiful universe.—
Jackie Flynn Mogensen,
Scientific American,
27 May 2026
-
Whether the product delivers on—and delights—expectations.—
Expert Panel®,
Forbes.com,
27 May 2026
Noun
-
The sources described it as a preliminary operation laying the groundwork for additional steps by installing listening devices and intelligence equipment in the area.—
Tal Shalev,
CNN Money,
5 June 2026
-
That treatment gap is reviving interest in experimental blood-filtering devices that can physically remove viral particles from the bloodstream.—
Elie Dolgin,
IEEE Spectrum,
4 June 2026
Verb
-
There is something magical about a firefly that fascinates young and old alike.—
Mary Marlowe Leverette,
Southern Living,
31 May 2026
-
At the moment, Philadelphia fascinates me most, a Play-In team that has enough talent to make a run to the finals.—
Chris Branch,
New York Times,
4 May 2026
Noun
-
In the middle, a Cartman in the role of a Midtown tax adviser dispenses accounting tips and tricks, culled from a YouTube account run by a real-life New York CPA.—
Theo Belci,
Artforum,
2 June 2026
-
That makes many older attack tricks harder to pull off.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
1 June 2026
Verb
-
At the moment, the only Championship side that interests me in FPL terms are Coventry.—
Holly Shand,
New York Times,
26 May 2026
-
Frankly, this isn’t something that interests me, but it’s bound to grab folks who pour hundred of hours into Horizon.—
Adam Ismail,
The Drive,
14 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Wiles.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wiles. Accessed 5 Jun. 2026.
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