1
as in cunning
skill in achieving one's ends through indirect, subtle, or underhanded means
a shady salesman who usually relies on a combination of quick thinking and guile
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2
as in deception
the inclination or practice of misleading others through lies or trickery
a person so full of guile he can't even be trusted to give you the correct time of day
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Recent Examples of guile
Getting out doesn’t just require thumb-shredding dexterity, wit, and guile, but also — fittingly for its premise — patience.
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Lewis Gordon, Vulture, 5 June 2024
What Hemings secured for herself through Jefferson, with an unknowable titration of guile and disgust and affection, Luce secures similarly through Mike.
—Jesse Green, New York Times, 17 Apr. 2024
Avery had rolled out his deadly plans with all the guile and strategic know-how that his navy training had taught him.
—Sean Kingsley, Smithsonian Magazine, 2 Apr. 2024
Opponents had underestimated the grit and guile of someone who grew up poor, cut his teeth in the labor and immigrant rights movements and wasn’t about to leave the good life of politics just because a bunch of wokosos screamed at him.
—Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 6 Mar. 2024
See all Example Sentences for guile 
Lewis Gordon, Vulture, 5 June 2024
What Hemings secured for herself through Jefferson, with an unknowable titration of guile and disgust and affection, Luce secures similarly through Mike.
—Jesse Green, New York Times, 17 Apr. 2024
Avery had rolled out his deadly plans with all the guile and strategic know-how that his navy training had taught him.
—Sean Kingsley, Smithsonian Magazine, 2 Apr. 2024
Opponents had underestimated the grit and guile of someone who grew up poor, cut his teeth in the labor and immigrant rights movements and wasn’t about to leave the good life of politics just because a bunch of wokosos screamed at him.
—Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 6 Mar. 2024
See all Example Sentences for guile
Recent Examples of Synonyms for guile
Noun
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David slayed the giant with a slingshot; Esther by her cunning saved her people.Gwen Faulkenberry, arkansasonline.com, 12 Dec. 2024
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Over time, guile took on the connotation of deceitful cunning in English, emerging in Middle English around the 12th century.Erik Kain, Forbes, 1 Dec. 2024
Noun
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In firing off nuclear threats, Putin is burnishing his role as a master of deception.Kevin Holden Platt, Forbes, 18 Dec. 2024
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This is a game of deception after all, and everyone is in on it.Alejandra Gularte, Vulture, 18 Dec. 2024
Noun
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In the forthcoming season, fans of the nail-biting series can anticipate Selling Sunset’s Chrishell Stause, Britney Spears’ ex Sam Asghari, and Zac Efron’s younger brother Dylan to compete in a game of skill and deceit.Kalia Richardson, Rolling Stone, 18 Dec. 2024
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Meanwhile, the Ukrainian government is trying to urge the nation to continue the struggle, even as its officials at all levels engage in corruption and deceit.Daniel R. Depetris, Newsweek, 13 Dec. 2024
Noun
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Trump’s lawsuit, which was filed in Iowa state court in Polk County, accuses the outlet and pollster of violating Iowa’s consumer fraud laws by engaging in deception.Zach Schonfeld, The Hill, 17 Dec. 2024
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Softbank also blew a billion dollars on Wirecard, the German payments company at the center of an international fraud investigation, shortly before the firm unraveled.David Goldman, CNN, 17 Dec. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near guile
Cite this Entry
“Guile.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/guile. Accessed 30 Dec. 2024.
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