sly

[ slahy ]

adjective

comparative: slyer or slier [slahy, -er],superlative: slyest or sliest [slahy, -ist].

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. on the sly
   in a secretive manner

Derived Forms

• ˈslyly, adverb
• ˈslyness, noun

Other Words From

• slyly adverb
• slyness noun
• un·sly adjective unslyer unslyest
• un·slyly adverb
• un·slyness 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.

More idioms and phrases containing sly

see on the sly .

Example Sentences

Terhune’s irony and satire can be so sly that some people don’t get the joke, thinking that Alpha Male is not an act but the comic’s true self.

From Los Angeles Times

It is full of in-jokes of the era, but with sly and not-so-sly gusto along with a gifted cast, Shaw turned this into riotous supper-club opera.

From Los Angeles Times

The Archangel Michael is the patron saint of police officers, so I wanted to ask Jurado if her pendant was a sly dig at her antagonists.

From Los Angeles Times

“This defendant has been neither sly nor dishonest nor seeking gain for himself,” she said.

From BBC

“The show wouldn’t work if Jeff wasn’t playing Joel because he really is so funny and sly and so tenderhearted and heartbreaking and just everything you want to be,” she says in a Zoom interview.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• canny
• impish
• ingenious
• intriguing
• mischievous
• roguish
• shrewd
• smart
• subtle