wiliness

noun

Definition of wilinessnext
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

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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
  1. cunning
  2. deception
  3. deceptiveness
  4. deceit
  5. deceitfulness
  6. fraud
  7. cheating
Noun
  • Nolan foregrounds the nobility that guides the character (his guilt, his dedication to his men, his yearning for his family) and neglects his wily cunning and egotism.
    — Angelica Jade Bastién, Vulture, 27 July 2026
  • The Odysseus of legend is known for his cunning and his eloquence.
    — Hillary Busis, Vanity Fair, 15 July 2026
Definition of cunning
Noun
  • Yes, a bit of deception has long been standard in listing photos — a wide lens, a bit of color saturation to make a viewless window appear brighter — but the tools today are more sophisticated, cheaper, and pretty ubiquitous.
    — Matthew Sedacca, Curbed, 21 July 2026
  • Nolan reinvents him as a naive young soldier left outside the horse to sell Odysseus’ deception.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 21 July 2026
Definition of deception
Noun
  • 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
  • Beyond the deceptiveness of the narrow material view, spiritual light and hope are always present to be found and felt.
    — Sue Brightman, Christian Science Monitor, 3 Jan. 2025
Definition of deceptiveness
Noun
  • Kings, Queens and Sea Snakes Elsewhere, Alicent and Helaena are caught trying to escape and Helaena learns of Alicent’s deceit.
    — Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 27 July 2026
  • Homer may have viewed Odysseus’s deceit and pillaging as glorious.
    — Luis Parrales, The Atlantic, 26 July 2026
Definition of deceit
Noun
  • Antisocial personality includes a persistent pattern of traits such as callousness, lack of concern, deceitfulness, and irresponsibility, Ryan said.
    — Harriet Ramos, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 29 Apr. 2026
  • 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
Definition of deceitfulness
Noun
  • His criminal record reflects some of the occasions he got caught and did jail time, for non-violent retail fraud.
    — Kyung Lah, CNN Money, 25 July 2026
  • The lawsuit includes claims of professional negligence, fraud, nuisance, negligence, labor code violations and wrongful death.
    — Daniel Lempres, Sacbee.com, 25 July 2026
Definition of fraud
Noun
  • Moreno-Riaño suggested that many higher education professionals who ban AI because of potential cheating are not approaching the technology in the right way.
    — Rachel Wolf, FOXNews.com, 25 July 2026
  • Owning The Design Choice Faculty often describe the AI cheating problem as something happening to them.
    — Terry Oroszi, Forbes.com, 22 July 2026
Definition of cheating
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Cite this Entry

“Wiliness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wiliness. Accessed 1 Aug. 2026.

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