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Antonyms for sly
| Grammar : Adj |
| Spell : slahy |
| Phonetic Transcription : slaɪ |
Definition of sly
Origin :- c.1200, "skillful, clever, dexterous," from Old Norse sloegr "cunning, crafty, sly," from Proto-Germanic *slogis (cf. Low German slu "cunning, sly," German schlau), probably from base *slak- "to strike, hit" (see slay (v.)), with an original notion of "able to hit." Cf. German verschlagen "cunning, crafty, sly," schlagfertig "quick-witted," literally "strike-ready," from schlagen "to strike." A non-pejorative use of the word lingered in northern English dialect until 20c. On the sly "in secret" is recorded from 1812. Sly-boots "a seeming Silly, but subtil Fellow" is in the 1700 "Dictionary of the Canting Crew."
- adj clever, devious
- "Let them sleep in the bed of honor," said the Princess Medea, with a sly smile at Jason.
- Extract from : « Tanglewood Tales » by Nathaniel Hawthorne
- The sly, wicked Mimi came slinking to the place where the dragon lay.
- Extract from : « Opera Stories from Wagner » by Florence Akin
- I know her sly manner of feeling her way with those gloves of hers.
- Extract from : « Little Dorrit » by Charles Dickens
- The faces seemed to have but one smile, conscious, sly, a little alarmed.
- Extract from : « The Coryston Family » by Mrs. Humphry Ward
- But I had only to open my lips to speak, and away she would run, with a sly smile.
- Extract from : « A Hero of Our Time » by M. Y. Lermontov
- You have to visit your disreputable cousin on the sly, have you?
- Extract from : « The Prisoner of Zenda » by Anthony Hope
- All the sly blabbing, all the vague chatter of sacristies resounded in his ears.
- Extract from : « The Fortune of the Rougons » by Emile Zola
- What a sly devil I was to stow that treasure away for a rainy day!
- Extract from : « Captain Brand of the "Centipede" » by H. A. (Henry Augustus) Wise
- “Yes; the same hands,” with a sly smile at his own private joke.
- Extract from : « Cap'n Warren's Wards » by Joseph C. Lincoln
- Crawford had written that this photograph, too, had been taken on the sly.
- Extract from : « Mary-'Gusta » by Joseph C. Lincoln
Synonyms for sly
- arch
- artful
- astute
- bluffing
- cagey
- calculating
- canny
- captious
- conniving
- covert
- crafty
- crooked
- cunning
- deceitful
- deceptive
- delusive
- designing
- dishonest
- dishonorable
- dissembling
- double-dealing
- elusive
- foxy
- furtive
- guileful
- illusory
- impish
- ingenious
- insidious
- intriguing
- mean
- mischievous
- plotting
- roguish
- scheming
- secret
- sharp
- shifty
- shrewd
- slick
- smart
- smooth
- sneaking
- stealthy
- subtle
- traitorous
- treacherous
- tricky
- underhand
- unscrupulous
- wily
Based on : Thesaurus.com - Gutenberg.org - Dictionary.com - Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019