Synonyms of wiliness

wiliness 1 of 2

noun

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

• cunning
• guile
• deviousness
• canniness
• slyness
• artfulness
• subtlety
• cunningness
• sneakiness
• craftiness
• subtleness
• ease
• slickness
• craft
• caginess
• inventiveness
• shrewdness
• artifice
• cleverness
• calculation
• ingenuity
• cageyness
• foxiness
• care
• guilefulness
• design
• savvy
• finesse
• ingeniousness
• duplicity
• shiftiness
• facility
• sharpness
• underhandedness
• deceitfulness

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

• deception
• cunning
• deceptiveness
• deceit
• deceitfulness
• fraud
• cheating
• duplicity
• guile
• lying
• cunningness
• craftiness
• dishonesty
• dissimulation
• double-dealing
• crookedness
• secrecy
• dissembling
• fakery
• cozenage
• crookery
• craft
• dupery
• foxiness
• prevarication
• shrewdness
• artifice
• skullduggery
• fraudulence
• trickery
• artfulness
• subterfuge
• guilefulness
• mendacity
• deviousness
• chicanery
• hypocrisy
• skulduggery
• insincerity
• swindling
• obliquity
• jugglery
• wile
• equivocation
• slyness
• underhandedness
• legerdemain
• caginess
• unscrupulousness
• sneakiness
• sanctimoniousness
• shiftiness
• furtiveness
• fib
• covertness
• hanky-panky
• smoothness
• stealthiness
• mountebankery
• shadiness
• untruth
• chicane
• slickness
• falsehood
• slipperiness
• treacherousness
• two-facedness
• falsity
• cageyness
• oiliness

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• sincerity
• good faith
• forthrightness
• ingenuousness
• frankness
• openness
• directness
• candor
• artlessness
• guilelessness
• honesty
• plainness
• reliability
• probity
• trustworthiness
• dependability
• solidity
• candidness
• integrity
• goodness
• truthfulness
• decency
• righteousness
• uprightness
• incorruptibility
• plainspokenness
• reliableness
• virtuousness
• trustiness
• trustability

wily

2 of 2

adjective

ˈwī-lē 

as in cute

clever at attaining one's ends by indirect and often deceptive means

a wily judge of character, she takes advantage of car buyers' insecurities to sell them a bigger machine than they really need

Synonyms & Similar Words

• cunning
• cute
• subtle
• slick
• shrewd
• deceptive
• treacherous
• fraudulent
• sly
• dishonest
• devious
• crafty
• scheming
• crooked
• cagey
• tricky
• artful
• foxy
• beguiling
• guileful
• designing
• cagy
• deceitful
• dodgy
• shady
• slippery
• calculating
• astute
• unscrupulous
• sharp
• sneaky
• covert
• shifty
• Machiavellian
• glib
• clandestine
• undercover
• plotting
• knavish
• underhanded
• oblique
• facile
• serpentine
• hypocritical
• circular
• secret
• underhand
• roundabout
• circuitous
• concealed
• stealthy
• insincere
• surreptitious
• furtive
• backhanded
• smooth-tongued
• insinuating
• two-faced
• mealy
• double-dealing
• mealymouthed
• left-handed
• hugger-mugger

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• ingenuous
• guileless
• innocent
• obvious
• artless
• real
• plain
• public
• outspoken
• simple
• open
• straightforward
• direct
• honest
• forthright
• sincere
• natural
• unaffected
• frank
• unconcealed
• unsophisticated
• candid
• unpretentious
• impressionable
• patent
• childlike
• unvarnished
• unpretending
• simpleminded
• unworldly
• aboveboard
• undesigning
• plainspoken
• unstudied
• trusting
• unforced
• trustful

Synonym Chooser

How is the word wily distinct from other similar adjectives?

Some common synonyms of wily are artful, crafty, cunning, foxy, slick, sly, and tricky. While all these words mean "attaining or seeking to attain one's ends by guileful or devious means," wily implies skill and deception in maneuvering.

the wily fugitive escaped the posse

When is it sensible to use artful instead of wily?

The words artful and wily are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, artful implies indirectness in dealing and often connotes sophistication or cleverness.

elicited the information by artful questioning

When might crafty be a better fit than wily?

The words crafty and wily can be used in similar contexts, but crafty implies cleverness and subtlety of method.

a crafty lefthander

When would cunning be a good substitute for wily?

The meanings of cunning and wily largely overlap; however, cunning suggests the inventive use of sometimes limited intelligence in overreaching or circumventing.

the cunning fox avoided the trap

Where would foxy be a reasonable alternative to wily?

While in some cases nearly identical to wily, foxy implies a shrewd and wary craftiness usually involving devious dealing.

a foxy publicity man planting stories

When can slick be used instead of wily?

While the synonyms slick and wily are close in meaning, slick emphasizes smoothness and guile.

slick operators selling time-sharing

When is sly a more appropriate choice than wily?

In some situations, the words sly and wily are roughly equivalent. However, sly implies furtiveness, lack of candor, and skill in concealing one's aims and methods.

a sly corporate raider

In what contexts can tricky take the place of wily?

The synonyms tricky and wily are sometimes interchangeable, but tricky is more likely to suggest shiftiness and unreliability than skill in deception and maneuvering.

a tricky political operative

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of wiliness

Adjective

Still, the 39-year-old Ovechkin, his beard turned salt and pepper, showed his wily ways. —Phil Thompson, Chicago Tribune, 5 Apr. 2025

What about that wily junk dealer, or the creepy cemetery? —Kevin Purdy, ArsTechnica, 5 Apr. 2025

Greg Hunt, the wily suitor of the late Tanya McQuoid. —Dan Heching, CNN Money, 28 Mar. 2025

Meanwhile, wily creators like Chaudhari will continue to stand on the shoulders of filmmakers like James Gunn and get billions of views by playing with AI immitations of their characters. —Jake Kanter, Deadline, 28 Mar. 2025