sneaky

[ snee-kee ]

adjective

, sneak·i·er, sneak·i·est.

1. like or suggestive of a sneak; furtive; deceitful.

Other Words From

• sneaki·ly adverb
• sneaki·ness noun
• un·sneaky adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of sneaky¹

First recorded in 1825–35; sneak + -y ¹

Example Sentences

“He's a font of misplaced rage. Name your cliché; mother held him too much or not enough, last picked at kickball, late night sneaky uncle, whatever. Now he's so angry moments of levity actually cause him pain; gives him headaches. Happiness, for that gentleman, hurts.”

From Salon

“MS is a sneaky disease,” she writes in the book.

From Los Angeles Times

“MS is a sneaky disease. Like some of my boyfriends, it has a tendency to show up at the most awkward times and then to disappear entirely,” she wrote in “Speedbumps: Flooring It Through Hollywood,” her 2005 autobiography.

From Los Angeles Times

Voters in the state navigated confusion around the labeling of the ballot issue, a sneaky referendum attempting to raise the threshold for a ballot measure to take effect, and deceiving language approved by Republican Secretary of State Frank LaRose all in an off year.

From Salon

In “Risky Business,” he was the high-strung pop of Cruise’s sneaky Joel Goodsen.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• devious
• disingenuous
• nasty
• shifty
• sly
• tricky