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1. Dictionary

   Sly

   /slī/

   

   adjective

   • 1. having or showing a cunning and deceitful nature: "she had a sly personality" Similar cunningcraftycleverwilyartfulguilefultrickyconnivingschemingdeviousdesigningdeceitfulduplicitousdishonestdisingenuousunderhandsneakyuntrustworthymanipulativecalculatingMachiavellianinformal:foxyshiftyflyshonkyslimarchaic:subtlerare:carnyOpposite honestartless
   • ▪ (of a remark, glance, or facial expression) showing in an insinuating way that one has some secret knowledge that may be harmful or embarrassing: "he gave a sly grin" Similar roguishmischievousimpishpuckishplayfulteasingnaughtywickedwaggisharchknowinginformal:pawky
   • ▪ (of an action) surreptitious: "a sly sip of water" Similar surreptitiousfurtivestealthycovertsecret

   Word Origin Middle English (also in the sense ‘dexterous’): from Old Norse slœgr ‘cunning’, originally ‘able to strike’ from the verb slá; compare with sleight.

   Derivatives

   • 1. slyness noun

   Scrabble Points: 6

   • S

     1

   • L

     1

   • Y

     4

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2. www.merriam-webster.com › dictionary › slySly Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster

   www.merriam-webster.com › dictionary › sly

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   Aug 12, 2024 · The meaning of SLY is wise in practical affairs. How to use sly in a sentence. Synonym Discussion of Sly.

3. dictionary.cambridge.org › dictionary › englishSLY | English meaning - Cambridge Dictionary

   dictionary.cambridge.org › dictionary › english

   • Cached

   SLY definition: 1. deceiving people in a clever way in order to get what you want: 2. seeming to know secrets: 3…. Learn more.

4. dictionary.cambridge.org › us › dictionarySLY | definition in the Cambridge English Dictionary

   dictionary.cambridge.org › us › dictionary

   • Cached

   SLY meaning: 1. deceiving people in a clever way in order to get what you want: 2. seeming to know secrets: 3…. Learn more.

5. www.vocabulary.com › dictionary › slySly - Definition, Meaning & Synonyms | Vocabulary.com

   www.vocabulary.com › dictionary › sly

   When you're sly, you're crafty, cunning, tricky, and wily. Being sly is being deceitful, though not in the worst way. If you're good at lying, you're quite sly: people who are sly are good at pulling one over on other people. Being sly helps you get away with things.

6. www.dictionary.com › browse › %C2%A0slySLY Definition & Meaning | Dictionary.com

   www.dictionary.com › browse › %C2%A0sly

   • Cached

   cunning or wily: sly as a fox. Synonyms: astute, shrewd, crafty, foxy, subtle, artful. Antonyms: obvious, direct. stealthy, insidious, or secret. Synonyms: clandestine, underhand, furtive, surreptitious. playfully artful, mischievous, or roguish: sly humor. sly.

7. www.collinsdictionary.com › dictionary › englishSLY definition and meaning | Collins English Dictionary

   www.collinsdictionary.com › dictionary › english

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   A sly look, expression, or remark shows that you know something that other people do not know or that was meant to be a secret. His lips were spread in a sly smile. He gave me a sly, meaningful look.

8. www.thefreedictionary.com › slySly - definition of sly by The Free Dictionary

   www.thefreedictionary.com › sly

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   1. Clever or cunning, especially in the practice of deceit. 2. Stealthy or surreptitious: took a sly look at the letter on the table. 3. Playfully mischievous: a sly laugh. Idiom: on the sly. In a way intended to escape notice: took extra payments on the sly. [Middle English sleigh, from Old Norse slœgr .] sly′ly adv. sly′ness n.