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sly

sly

 
 
pronunciation:
slaI
phrases:
on the sly
features:
Word Combinations (adjective)
part of speech: adjective
inflections: slier, slyer, sliest, slyest
definition 1: devious or untrustworthy; sneaky.
He was a sly politician who managed to gain power through various underhanded means.
synonyms:
crafty, cunning, foxy, sneaky, tricky, wily
similar words:
arch, calculating, deceptive, devious, furtive, guileful, shifty, slick, underhanded, untrustworthy
definition 2: having an air of secrecy; stealthy.
Through a series of sly moves, he was able to get close to and gain the confidence of the president.
synonyms:
furtive, secretive, stealthy, surreptitious
similar words:
clandestine, confidential, covert, secret, sneaky, undercover
definition 3: humorously artful; full of mischief.
From the sly expression on his face, we could tell he was up to some mischief.
synonyms:
arch, mischievous, prankish, roguish, waggish
similar words:
elfish, facetious, foxy, impish, puckish, rascally, scampish
Word CombinationsSubscriber feature About this feature
phrase: on the sly
derivations: slyly (adv.), slyness (n.)