guile
insidious cunning in attaining a goal; crafty or artful deception; duplicity.
Origin of guile
1synonym study For guile
Other words for guile
Words Nearby guile
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use guile in a sentence
Stewart, generally a marvelous actor, plays Diana as a mannered doe—the performance is packed with calculation and guile.
It has been built on the resourcefulness, guile and self-belief of a gritty competitor determined to find solutions against favored opponents.
Teens Leylah Fernandez, Emma Raducanu storm into U.S. Open final on grit and belief | Liz Clarke | September 10, 2021 | Washington PostHer performance is clearly stylized, but it’s also packed with calculation and guile.
Kristen Stewart and Pablo Larraín Do Princess Diana Wrong in Spencer | Stephanie Zacharek | September 3, 2021 | TimeHe used changes of pace and direction, plus more than a little ref-baiting guile, to get Embiid and Matisse Thybulle, in particular, to foul him on attempts that likely had little chance of being converted in the first place.
The Bucks-Hawks Series Could Come Down To One Area Of The Court | Jared Dubin | June 23, 2021 | FiveThirtyEightThat’s a lot of guile, a lot of know-how — and a lot of star power.
Jon Lester strengthens the Nationals’ biggest strength — and gives them an undeniable identity | Barry Svrluga | January 19, 2021 | Washington Post
Sadly, it wasn't until she sang "Something Good" that Underwood's tireless guile finally succeeded in winning over the audience.
‘Sound of Music Live!’ Review: The Hills Are Barely Alive | Kevin Fallon | December 6, 2013 | THE DAILY BEASTBut to say nothing of the innovative frame structure, what stands out here is the guile and agency of the female characters.
"If that is the case, hats off to him for guile and deviousness," says Yossi Verter in Haaretz.
At one point it seemed that Brown was, with unseemly guile, trying to remain in 10 Downing Street.
The simple honest-hearted General, who knew not the guile of their hearts, was deluded into wishing them success.
Showell's Dictionary of Birmingham | Thomas T. Harman and Walter ShowellShe knew that he loved her—a frank, blustering fellow without guile enough to conceal his feelings, and no desire to do so.
The Awakening and Selected Short Stories | Kate ChopinThere was neither guile nor vanity in the girl's heart, nor a trace of deceit in her face; only gentleness, truth, and beauty.
A Forest Hearth: A Romance of Indiana in the Thirties | Charles MajorShe was so bright and pretty, so interested, and so free from guile, that hearts opened to her as blossoms to the sun.
Joyce's Investments | Fannie E. NewberryO strong ones, he who is the guardian of so much wealth, he calls on you with praises, free from guile.
Sacred Books of the East | Various
British Dictionary definitions for guile
/ (ɡaɪl) /
clever or crafty character or behaviour
Origin of guile
1Derived forms of guile
- guileful, adjective
- guilefully, adverb
- guilefulness, noun
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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