Synonyms of wiles

wiles 1 of 2

noun

plural of wile

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

• ruses
• schemes
• devices
• tricks
• stratagems
• artifices
• ploys
• gambits
• shenanigans
• sleights
• dodges
• jigs
• knacks
• deceptions
• sleights of hand
• plays
• bluffs
• gimmicks
• trickeries
• juggles
• subterfuges
• fetches
• feints
• flimflams
• cunnings
• duplicities
• chicaneries
• end runs
• hoaxes
• swindles
• crafts
• frauds
• juggleries
• cozenages
• legerdemains
• duperies
• fakeries
• gaffs
• blinds
• skulduggeries
• crookeries
• smoke screens
• fronts
• shams

wiles

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of wile

as in charms

to attract or delight as if by magic

her stories of the Old South could wile anyone

Synonyms & Similar Words

• charms
• delights
• fascinates
• interests
• seduces
• entices
• lures
• intrigues
• enchants
• pleases
• beguiles
• tempts
• allures
• witches
• captivates
• bewitches
• kills
• draws
• magnetizes
• woos
• pulls
• disarms
• appeals (to)
• gratifies
• entrances
• arrests
• beckons
• invites
• courts
• enraptures
• enthralls
• solicits

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• repels
• offends
• disgusts
• annoys
• displeases
• bores
• revolts
• tires
• wearies
• irks

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of wiles

Noun

What follows is a modern picaresque journey, in which a clever underdog has to rely on her wit and wiles to survive a corrupt and perilous world. — Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 17 Sep. 2026

The teaser shows Jordan as Crown pulling off a number of dangerous stunts against a backdrop of slick cities, breathtaking landscapes, and museums with top-of-the-line security measures that can’t stand up against the wiles of his debonair thievery. — Mekishana Pierre, Entertainment Weekly, 29 July 2026

Penelope is Odysseus’ equal, in cunning, in stubbornness, in wiles. — Literary Hub, 17 July 2026

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

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