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 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

In one, a man holds a placard that reads "Smile!" - a sly jab at the government's forced-positivity campaigns during the Emergency.

From BBC

Related Words

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