Word Meanings - WILY - Book Publishers vocabulary database

Full of wiles, tricks, or stratagems; using craft or stratagem to accomplish a purpose; mischievously artful; subtle. "Wily and wise." Chaucer. "The wily snake." Milton. This false, wily, doubling disposition of mind. South. Syn. -- Cunning; artful;

Additional info about word: WILY

Full of wiles, tricks, or stratagems; using craft or stratagem to accomplish a purpose; mischievously artful; subtle. "Wily and wise." Chaucer. "The wily snake." Milton. This false, wily, doubling disposition of mind. South. Syn. -- Cunning; artful; sly; crafty. See Cunning.

Possible synonyms: (Same meaning words of WILY)

• Artful
• Cunning
• designing
• maneuvering
• sharp
• knowing
• subtle
• sly
• crafty
• wily
• shrewd
• Insidious
• Wily
• treacherous
• dangerous
• deceitful
• artful
• Sly
• underhanded
• astute
• stealthy
• Subtle
• cunning
• insinuating
• nice
• discriminating
• fine
• sophistical
• Jesuitical

Related words: (words related to WILY)

• KNOWINGLY
  1. With knowledge; in a knowing manner; intelligently; consciously; deliberately; as, he would not knowingly offend. Strype. 2. By experience. Shak.
• DESIGN
  drawing, dessein a plan or scheme; all, ultimately, from L. designare to designate; de- + signare to mark, mark out, signum mark, sign. See 1. To draw preliminary outline or main features of; to sketch for a pattern or model; to delineate; to trace
• CRAFTY
  1. Relating to, or characterized by, craft or skill; dexterous. "Crafty work." Piers Plowman. 2. Possessing dexterity; skilled; skillful. A noble crafty man of trees. Wyclif. 3. Skillful at deceiving others; characterized by craft; cunning; wily.
• SHARPLY
  In a sharp manner,; keenly; acutely. They are more sharply to be chastised and reformed than the rude Irish. Spenser. The soldiers were sharply assailed with wants. Hayward. You contract your eye when you would see sharply. Bacon.
• DESIGNATE
  Designated; appointed; chosen. Sir G. Buck.
• INSIDIOUS
  insidere to sit in; pref. in- + sedere to sit: cf. F. insidieux. See 1. Lying in wait; watching an opportunity to insnare or entrap; deceitful; sly; treacherous; -- said of persons; as, the insidious foe. "The insidious witch." Cowper. 2. Intended
• SHARPER
  A person who bargains closely, especially, one who cheats in bargains; a swinder; also, a cheating gamester. Sharpers, as pikes, prey upon their own kind. L'Estrange. Syn. -- Swindler; cheat; deceiver; trickster; rogue. See Swindler.
• ASTUTE
  Critically discerning; sagacious; shrewd; subtle; crafty. Syn. -- Keen; eagle-eyed; penetrating; skilled; discriminating; cunning; sagacious; subtle; wily; crafty. As*tute"ly, adv. -- As*tute"ness, n.
• KNOWINGNESS
  The state or quality of being knowing or intelligent; shrewdness; skillfulness.
• KNOW-NOTHING
  A member of a secret political organization in the United States, the chief objects of which were the proscription of foreigners by the repeal of the naturalization laws, and the exclusive choice of native Americans for office. Note: The
• CUNNINGNESS
  Quality of being cunning; craft.
• SUBTLE
  subtil, OF. soutil, later subtil, F. subtil, L. subtilis; probably, originally, woven fine, and fr. sub under + tela a web, fr. texere to 1. Sly in design; artful; cunning; insinuating; subtile; -- applied to persons; as, a subtle foe. "A subtle
• DISCRIMINATENESS
  The state of being discriminated; distinctness.
• KNOWING
  1. Skilful; well informed; intelligent; as, a knowing man; a knowing dog. The knowing and intelligent part of the world. South. 2. Artful; cunning; as, a knowing rascal.
• SHARPIE
  A long, sharp, flat-bottomed boat, with one or two masts carrying a triangular sail. They are often called Fair Haven sharpies, after the place on the coast of Connecticut where they originated.
• DECEITFUL
  Full of, or characterized by, deceit; serving to mislead or insnare; trickish; fraudulent; cheating; insincere. Harboring foul deceitful thoughts. Shak.
• ARTFULNESS
  The quality of being artful; art; cunning; craft.
• CUNNINGLY
  In a cunning manner; with cunning.
• INSINUATION
  1. The act or process of insinuating; a creeping, winding, or flowing in. By a soft insinuation mix'd With earth's large mass. Crashaw. 2. The act of gaining favor, affection, or influence, by gentle or artful means; -- formerly used in a good
• DISCRIMINATOR
  One who discriminates.
• PREKNOWLEDGE
  Prior knowledge.
• FOREKNOWER
  One who foreknows.
• FOREDESIGN
  To plan beforehand; to intend previously. Cheyne.
• ACKNOWLEDGE
  1. To of or admit the knowledge of; to recognize as a fact or truth; to declare one's belief in; as, to acknowledge the being of a God. I acknowledge my transgressions. Ps. li. 3. For ends generally acknowledged to be good. Macaulay. 2. To own
• BEKNOW
  To confess; to acknowledge. Chaucer.
• UNKNOW
  1. To cease to know; to lose the knowledge of. 2. To fail of knowing; to be ignorant of.