1
as in cunning
clever at attaining one's ends by indirect and often deceptive means
tried to fix the game with a guileful plot to sabotage the other team's bats, but the umpire caught them
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in deceptive
given to or marked by cheating and deception
received a guileful answer when I asked the dealer if the used car had ever been in a collision
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for guileful
Adjective
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On this occasion, Fernandez’s cross flies over Cucurella and straight into the thick of the action, where Joao Pedro’s cunning movement creates space to get his header away.—
Thom Harris,
New York Times,
11 Sep. 2025 -
Bening will costar on the series as Beulah Jackson, who's described as the powerful, cunning, and charming head of a major ranch in Texas.—
Randall Colburn,
Entertainment Weekly,
7 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Meanwhile, a group of states led by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton separately sued Google for anticompetitive and deceptive practices in its ad business.—
Bloomberg,
Mercury News,
12 Sep. 2025
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Katie’s denial was once again found to be deceptive.—
Liza Esquibias,
PEOPLE,
12 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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The buzzy long-sleeve shirt has a cute ribbed design, and it’s made of soft, stretchy fabric that doesn’t feel overly restrictive.—
Isabel Garcia,
PEOPLE,
12 Sep. 2025
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This cute camisole is perfect for lounging around or pairing with your favorite sweatpants or leggings.—
Alanna Martine Kilkeary,
Glamour,
11 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Businesses/nominees cannot obtain votes by any fraudulent or inappropriate means.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
12 Sep. 2025
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After a long process of validating legitimate claims and tossing out the ones that were fraudulent or duplicative, Angeion, the company in charge of distributing the payments, has finished its calculations determining how much each individual will get as payments go out starting this month.—
Alix Martichoux,
The Hill,
11 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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His celebration was subtle yet suave, a drop of his bat with a flick of his wrist.—
Justice delos Santos,
Mercury News,
13 Sep. 2025
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This is clearly a quick screen and may not pick up more subtle issues.—
Bruce Y. Lee,
Forbes.com,
13 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Another reason is that most EVs don’t use wires in their steering column so they can’t be hotwired and some have cameras and motion detection that deter shady people that get too close to the vehicle.—
Keenan Thompson,
USA Today,
11 Sep. 2025
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Leaving it longer, especially in shady areas, helps the grass develop a stronger root system.—
Mary Marlowe Leverette,
Southern Living,
10 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Their boss, the only one not carrying a blaster, pointed a long crooked finger at Rusty and all the Blasters were raised at Rusty in unison.—
Manuel Muñoz,
Literary Hub,
11 Sep. 2025
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For a Chicago Cubs lineup that has struggled lately to consistently score runs, let alone put up a crooked number, Friday’s opener against the Colorado Rockies provided the ideal bounce-back environment coming off the sweep in San Francisco.—
Meghan Montemurro,
Chicago Tribune,
30 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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These are cheap, dishonest shots against a great intellect, acknowledged by friends and opponents alike.—
James Gaylord,
Oc Register,
15 Sep. 2025
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Industry groups insist that they are committed to weeding out dishonest companies that make false claims or sell dangerous products.—
Suzy Khimm,
NBC news,
26 Aug. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Guileful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/guileful. Accessed 18 Sep. 2025.
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