1
as in cunning
clever at attaining one's ends by indirect and often deceptive means
the movie pairs a sly, dissembling ex-con with an upstanding, straight-arrow cop
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in shady
given to acting in secret and to concealing one's intentions
why, you sly fellow! I had no idea you were planning my birthday party a sly undercover police officer
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in mischievous
tending to or exhibiting reckless playfulness
a sly sense of humor
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of sly
Meanwhile, Adebayo has continued to support Wilson with sly social media posts.
—
Jordana Comiter, People.com, 26 Apr. 2025
The boisterous comedian lights up the stage with sly wit and brazen confidence, conveying Moss’ righteous fury over being bottom of the office food chain.
—Patrick Ryan, USA Today, 1 Apr. 2025
When Harrison zooms all the way into the specifics of a scene, especially in those vignettes with Cheung’s mother and Spahn’s coder, his work sings most cleanly, where naturalism melds with sly wit.
—Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 6 Feb. 2025
But reception took a turn for a worse when critics noticed Meta’s sly approach to ranking on LMArena, a site that ranks LLMs based on user votes.
—IEEE Spectrum, 21 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sly
Jordana Comiter, People.com, 26 Apr. 2025
The boisterous comedian lights up the stage with sly wit and brazen confidence, conveying Moss’ righteous fury over being bottom of the office food chain.
—Patrick Ryan, USA Today, 1 Apr. 2025
When Harrison zooms all the way into the specifics of a scene, especially in those vignettes with Cheung’s mother and Spahn’s coder, his work sings most cleanly, where naturalism melds with sly wit.
—Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 6 Feb. 2025
But reception took a turn for a worse when critics noticed Meta’s sly approach to ranking on LMArena, a site that ranks LLMs based on user votes.
—IEEE Spectrum, 21 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sly
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sly
Adjective
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Particularly cunning or politically convenient women have infrequently maneuvered into the halls of power, but these female monarchs have served mostly as short detours during times when a male crown prince was either too young or too weak to stand on his own.—
Timothy Nerozzi,
The Washington Examiner,
8 June 2025
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Anderson stands the original on its head: grooming Liesl as a successor, Zsa-zsa introduces her to a world where cunning and force hold sway.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
29 May 2025
Adjective
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In the back garden, for example, there’s a shady grove with hammocks and low seating that is one of the couple’s favorite places to enjoy quiet moments.—
Katia Contreras,
Architectural Digest,
19 June 2025
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Best Types of Hibiscus for Hummingbirds Hibiscus plants come in a range of options—from native perennials to tropical annuals—all of which attract hummingbirds and are suited for sunny to partly shady spaces, says Myers.—
Anne Readel,
Better Homes & Gardens,
18 June 2025
Adjective
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Next, Negan saw Annie… and Joshua (whose smile was as mischievous as we’d been told).—
Charlie Mason,
TVLine,
15 June 2025
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View More On the cover, a young Chenier holds a 25-pound accordion the length of his torso, a big, mischievous smile on his face.—
Reya Hart,
The Atlantic,
15 June 2025
Adjective
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Plus, a slight slit in the legs adds a cute and playful touch.—
Jacquelyn Smith,
Parents,
13 June 2025
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Related Articles Miss Manners: Another mother chided me for group-texting a cute photo.—
Eric Thomas,
The Orlando Sentinel,
13 June 2025
Adjective
-
Though the two would've kept in touch over the years, it would be revealed in episode 2 that the sneaky little brown-noser with a hidden agenda was happily engaged to another woman and expecting his first child.—
Mekishana Pierre Published,
EW.com,
11 June 2025
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Fraud Detection: No, Elon Musk Is Not Sponsoring You Some fraud is obvious, but some fraud is sneaky.—
Raghu Para,
Forbes.com,
6 June 2025
Adjective
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That’s 663 days between pitching appearances – and 663 days since fans caught a glimpse of his wicked four-seam fastball and splitter.—
Julia Andersen,
CNN Money,
16 June 2025
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To its credit, Seattle responded strongly after the break and pulled one back when Cristian Roldan’s header took a wicked deflection and snuck into the Botafogo net.—
Jeff Rueter,
New York Times,
15 June 2025
Adjective
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When paired to a non-Huawei phone, audio quality still sounds good, but has a subtle loss of depth.—
Ben Sin,
Forbes.com,
18 June 2025
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Counsell’s subtle influences can be seen in the standings.—
Patrick Mooney,
New York Times,
18 June 2025
Adjective
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His squirrelly, strained voice was well attuned to the furtive ambivalence of his stage presence.—
Rolling Stone,
Rolling Stone,
16 June 2025
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The visual language is nimble, sometimes furtive and obscuring, and then classical and dramatic, recalling the photography of Robert Frank or Roy DeCarava.—
Doreen St. Félix,
New Yorker,
14 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Sly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sly. Accessed 24 Jun. 2025.
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