1
as in cunning
skill in achieving one's ends through indirect, subtle, or underhanded means
admired the politician's wiliness, but questioned his ethics
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in deception
the inclination or practice of misleading others through lies or trickery
her reputation for Machiavellian wiliness made people disinclined to trust her
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wiliness
Noun
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Because Maradona, in a burst of cunning and trickery, also used his hand.—
Esteban Campanela,
CNN Money,
25 Nov. 2025 -
Landing a good apartment in New York City can take some cunning.—
Matthew Sedacca,
Curbed,
5 Nov. 2025
Noun
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Named one of the 10 Best Books of 2025 by The New York Times, Angel Down follows Private Cyril Bagger, who has managed to survive the unspeakable horrors of WWI through his wits and deception, swindling fellow soldiers at every opportunity.—
Matt Grobar,
Deadline,
26 Jan. 2026
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The drama about power, deception, and the complex bond between father and son is set in 1930s New York as international financier Gregor Antonescu’s empire faces collapse.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
26 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Of course, the retort is that this would be irritating and exasperating to be continually deluged with alerts about AI deceptiveness.—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes.com,
24 Aug. 2025
Noun
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But Prosecutor Ben Ladinig argued any grains of authenticity in Haobsh's life were far outweighed by deceit.—
Natalie Morales,
CBS News,
27 Jan. 2026
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These are just some of the most prominent, powerful bootlickers stumbling right now on their own deceit and desperation.—
Gustavo Arellano,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Perfidy — from the French perfidie via the Latin perfidia — means deceitfulness, treachery or a breach of faith or promise.—
Harmeet Kaur,
CNN Money,
21 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Broderick asked whether the government picked the five states first and then did research into whether there were fraud claims there.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
24 Jan. 2026
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According to the indictment, Brett Rosen also regularly used the site to defend himself against accusations of fraud and market manipulation at least as early as 2021.—
Alex Riggins,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
23 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Emotional cheating involves starting a relationship with someone.—
Abigail Van Buren,
Boston Herald,
23 Jan. 2026
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The Justice Department's most high-profile Clean Air Act criminal case related to emissions cheating was Volkswagen.—
Sarah N. Lynch,
CBS News,
21 Jan. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Wiliness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wiliness. Accessed 30 Jan. 2026.
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