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Synonyms of sly

13 similar words

Another word for sly is cunning. Other synonyms of sly are wily, artful and cautious.

Synonyms and similar words for sly

adjectiveDexterous in performing an action, so as to escape notice.

nimble
skillful
cautiousUsing or exercising caution; careful; tentative.
shrewd

adjectiveMore synonyms

artfulSkilful at using dishonest or unfair means to achieve a purpose; crafty, cunning.
crafty
cunningSly; crafty; clever in surreptitious behaviour.
knowing
sharp
shifty
slimSly, crafty.
sly as a foxVery sly, very cunning.
wilySly, cunning, full of tricks.

Meaning of sly

adjective Artfully cunning; secretly mischievous; wily.
adjective Dexterous in performing an action, so as to escape notice.
adjective Done with, and marked by, artful and dexterous secrecy; subtle.

Full definition of sly

sly in other languages

Questions about synonyms of sly

What is another word for sly?: Sly has 13 synonyms on Word.ws, such as cunning, wily, artful and cautious.
What does sly mean?: Sly means artfully cunning; secretly mischievous; wily.

Adapted from Wiktionary: sly (page history and authors) and the entries of the words listed. Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws grouped the synonyms and antonyms by meaning and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

Last updated: 2026-09-02

Cite this page: “Synonyms of sly.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/synonyms/sly. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.