Word.ws English Dictionary

Synonyms of wily

18 similar words · 6 opposite words

Another word for wily is cunning. Other synonyms of wily are sly, crafty, artful and tricksy. The opposite of wily is gullible.

Synonyms and similar words for wily

adjectiveSly, cunning, full of tricks.

  • astute
  • artfulSkilful at using dishonest or unfair means to achieve a purpose; crafty, cunning.
  • craftySkillful at deceiving others.
  • cunningSly; crafty; clever in surreptitious behaviour.
  • devious
  • diabolical slang(Devilishly) cunning or devious.
  • foxlikeResembling or characteristic of a fox.
  • foxy
  • frood ScotlandShrewd; sagacious; wary; cautious.
  • guilefulFull of guile; treacherously deceptive.
  • shrewd
  • slimSly, crafty.
  • slyArtfully cunning; secretly mischievous; wily.
  • tricksyInclined to trickery; sneaky, devious.
  • tricky
  • vulpine
  • cautelous obsoleteSkillful in trickery or deception; cunning, wily.
  • subtle archaicOf a person or animal, or of an action or words: clever or skilful in a crafty or devious way; cunning, sly, wily.

Opposite of wily

adjectiveMore antonyms

Meaning of wily

  1. adjective Sly, cunning, full of tricks.

Full definition of wily

wily in other languages

Questions about synonyms of wily

What is another word for wily?
Wily has 18 synonyms on Word.ws, such as cunning, sly, crafty, artful and tricksy.
What is the opposite of wily?
The opposite of wily is gullible. Other antonyms of wily are unwise.
What does wily mean?
Wily means sly, cunning, full of tricks.

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: wily (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.

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