Sly and Wily

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

Wily is a synonym for sly in cunning topic. In some cases you can use "Wily" instead an adjective "Sly", when it comes to topics like crafty, ability, artful, subtle. popular alternative

Nearby Words: slyness, slyly

Wily

Wily adjective - Clever at attaining one's ends by indirect and often deceptive means.
Usage example: a wily judge of character, she takes advantage of car buyers' insecurities to sell them a bigger machine than they really need

Sly is a synonym for wily in crafty topic. You can use "Sly" instead an adjective "Wily", if it concerns topics such as ability, property, character trait, artful. popular alternative

Both words in one sentence

  • Film / Convoy Cunning Like a Fox: Rubber Duck is sly, cunning, and wily in all regards.
    Source: Film / Convoy
Cite this Source
Wily and Sly. (2016). Retrieved 2026, July 21, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/sly/wily
Sly & Wily. N.p., 2016. Web. 21 Jul. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/sly/wily>.
Wily or Sly. 2016. Accessed July 21, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/sly/wily.
Google Ngram Viewer shows how "sly" and "wily" have occurred on timeline