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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Examples Sentences
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.
Recent Examples of guile
Getting out doesn’t just require thumb-shredding dexterity, wit, and guile, but also — fittingly for its premise — patience.
—
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
-
David slayed the giant with a slingshot; Esther by her cunning saved her people.Gwen Faulkenberry, arkansasonline.com, 12 Dec. 2024
-
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
-
If the princess world is all sort of deception, this is no artifice at all.Simon Thompson, Forbes, 5 Dec. 2024
-
So, in the spirit of humoring that little Gremlin, here’s a rundown of some of Pattinson’s most memorable deceptions and dubious claims.Charisma Madarang, Rolling Stone, 4 Dec. 2024
Noun
-
Its story is already dark and moody with themes of death, grief, deceit, revenge and bug-eating.Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 21 Nov. 2024
-
The executive further lauded Rodrigo for fighting for the aforementioned rights, and acknowledging and showing empathy for issues — love, break-ups, learning how to drive, deceit — with which some young people struggle.Jennifer Weil, WWD, 18 Nov. 2024
Noun
-
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
-
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 21 Dec. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share