Devious
Devious adjective - Clever at attaining one's ends by indirect and often deceptive means.
Usage example: we always left it to our most devious friends to find out the latest information
Sly is a synonym for devious in crafty topic. In some cases you can use "Sly" instead the word "Devious" as an adjective or a noun, when it comes to topics like artful, perverse, dishonest, tricky. popular alternative
Sly
Sly adjective - Clever at attaining one's ends by indirect and often deceptive means.
Usage example: the movie pairs a sly, dissembling ex-con with an upstanding, straight-arrow cop
Devious is a synonym for sly in cunning topic. You can use "Devious" instead the word "Sly" as an adjective or a noun, if it concerns topics such as artful, crafty, perverse, tricky. popular alternative
Mutual synonyms
Both words in one sentence
-
She may not be as sly, devious or canny as Braxiatel or other Gallifrian politicians, but she still manages to stay on top of the heap mainly through brute intellect and sheer bull-headed stubbornness.
Source: Audio Play / Gallifrey - The tagline for Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus was "He's one thievious, devious racoonus." Sly Cooper is not the Thievious Racoonus, that's the name of his family's book that he's trying to retrieve.
Source: I Am Not Shazam / Video Games
Cite this Source
Sly and Devious. (2016). Retrieved 2026, August 16, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/devious/sly
Devious & Sly. N.p., 2016. Web. 16 Aug. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/devious/sly>.
Sly or Devious. 2016. Accessed August 16, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/devious/sly.
Google Ngram Viewer shows how "devious" and "sly" have occurred on timeline