wily
/ˈwʌɪli
/adjective (wilier, wiliest)
Skilled at gaining an advantage, especially deceitfully: his wily opponents...
- He had made one mistake, he had not counted on the skill and determination of his wily opponent.
- I had no idea such cunning and wily interrogation techniques were still permitted in the Western world.
- The scene is now set for a series of double-crosses where the wily Carol emerges as the sharpest operator of them all.
Synonyms
shrewd, clever, sharp, sharp-witted, astute, canny, smart;
crafty, cunning, artful, sly, scheming, calculating, guileful, disingenuous, devious, Machiavellian;
deceitful, deceptive, Janus-faced, dishonest, cheating, double-dealing
informal tricky, foxy
British informal fly
Scottish & Northern English informal pawky
North American informal heads-up
South African informal slim
archaic subtle
rare vulpine, carny
Derivatives
wilily
- Whereupon the Apprentice Wizard wilily watched the wily Master Wizard for a while and after that while whispered wonderingly, ‘Is that all it means, oh wise and wonderful Sir?’
wiliness
- But one person's skulduggery is another's wiliness.
- A fiend for organising mega cultural events in college, young Ismail's wiliness and wheedling skills come to the fore in organising mega cultural events in college.
- The success of this programme is largely due to the tremendous support of local employers who have welcomed trainees into their businesses with a wiliness that has truly worked.