sly

[slahy]

adjective

comparative

slyer, slier ,

superlative

slyest, sliest .

1. cunning or wily.

   sly as a fox.

   Synonyms: astute, shrewd, crafty, foxy, subtle, artful
   Antonyms: obvious, direct

2. stealthy, insidious, or secret.

   Synonyms: clandestine, underhand, furtive, surreptitious

3. playfully artful, mischievous, or roguish.

   sly humor.

sly

/ slaɪ /

adjective

1. crafty; artful

   a sly dodge

2. insidious; furtive

   a sly manner

3. playfully mischievous; roguish

   sly humour

noun

1. in a secretive manner

Other Word Forms

• slyly adverb
• slyness noun
• unsly adjective
• unslyly adverb
• unslyness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of sly¹

First recorded in 1150–1200; Middle English sly, sley , from Old Norse slœgr “sly, cunning” (originally “able to strike, able to slay”); slay ( def. )

Word History and Origins

Origin of sly¹

C12: from Old Norse slǣgr clever, literally: able to strike, from slā to _slay

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. on the sly, secretly;

   a tryst on the sly.

see on the sly.

Example Sentences

A sly nod the raw cloves rubbed on toast by the Catalan herdsmen who stake claim to the dish’s origins.

From Salon

“A very fine product,” says senior art preparator Michael Price with a sly smile.

From Los Angeles Times

Shot on 35mm VistaVision, “One Battle After Another” will be a rare chance to see Anderson bring his sly digressions, oddball humor and tonal whiplash to a canvas usually reserved for Bayhem.

From Los Angeles Times

Behind a sly grin, Doncic replied, “They probably saw it. I don’t have to worry about that.”

From Los Angeles Times

“They want me to go in with them on the sly,” says Colonel Sellers, the anti-hero of that novel.

From Salon

Related Words

• canny 
• impish 
• ingenious 
• intriguing www.thesaurus.com
• mischievous 
• roguish 
• shrewd 
• smart 
• subtle