wily [wahy-lee] SynonymsExamplesWord Origin adjective, wil·i·er, wil·i·est.
- full of, marked by, or proceeding from wiles; crafty; cunning.
Origin of wily Middle English word dating back to 1250–1300; see origin at wile, -y1 Related formswil·i·ly, adverbwil·i·ness, nouno·ver·wil·y, adjectiveun·wil·y, adjectiveSynonyms for wily artful, sly, designing, intriguing, tricky, foxy, deceitful, treacherous.Antonyms for wily straightforward, open. Related Words for wiliest underhanded, sneaky, crooked, shrewd, cagey, scheming, shifty, sly, arch, artful, astute, cunning, deceitful, deceptive, deep, designing, foxy, greasy, insidious, intriguing Examples from the Web for wiliest Historical Examples of wiliest
Twist says not Twist calls her the wiliest serpent he ever saw, but not mad.
Charles James Lever
In this long controversy the French were the wiliest, the British were the most arrogant.
Albert Bushnell Hart
The wiliest person cannot for ever conceal his fundamental character from the simplest.
Arnold Bennett
The wiliest of men could not have summoned up all the tears he shed.
The Memoirs of Madame Vige Lebrun
Marie Louise Elisabeth Vige-Lebrun
For there, under a log, lurks the wiliest trout I have ever encountered.
Mary Roberts Rinehart
British Dictionary definitions for wiliest wily adjective wilier or wiliest
- characterized by or proceeding from wiles; sly or crafty
Derived Formswiliness, noun Word Origin and History for wiliest wily adj.