Wily
adjective
Being smart and careful in a sneaky way to reach a goal.
The wily fox escaped from the trap once again.
Often appears as...
- wily fox
- wily old fox
Usage tips
Disapproving
adjective
Being smart and careful in a sneaky way to reach a goal.
The wily fox escaped from the trap once again.
Often appears as...
- wily fox
- wily old fox
Usage tips
Disapproving
Definition 1 of 1
Pro Tip 1/3Sneaky Intelligence
Wily implies a cleverness used for trickery or deception.
The wily con artist fooled everyone with his scheme.
Pro Tip 2/3Negative Connotation
Although 'wily' involves cleverness, it often has a negative connotation, suggesting dishonesty.
He had a reputation as a wily businessman with dubious ethics.
Pro Tip 3/3Nuanced Usage
'Wily' can be used admiringly for resourcefulness, even if the methods are questionable.
She admired her grandmother's wily way of solving problems.
Pro Tip 1/3Sneaky Intelligence
Wily implies a cleverness used for trickery or deception.
The wily con artist fooled everyone with his scheme.
Pro Tip 2/3Negative Connotation
Although 'wily' involves cleverness, it often has a negative connotation, suggesting dishonesty.
He had a reputation as a wily businessman with dubious ethics.
Pro Tip 3/3Nuanced Usage
'Wily' can be used admiringly for resourcefulness, even if the methods are questionable.
She admired her grandmother's wily way of solving problems.
Pro Tip 1/3Sneaky Intelligence
Wily implies a cleverness used for trickery or deception.
The wily con artist fooled everyone with his scheme.
Pro Tip 2/3Negative Connotation
Although 'wily' involves cleverness, it often has a negative connotation, suggesting dishonesty.
He had a reputation as a wily businessman with dubious ethics.
Pro Tip 3/3Nuanced Usage
'Wily' can be used admiringly for resourcefulness, even if the methods are questionable.
She admired her grandmother's wily way of solving problems.
Never forget "Wily"
Humans forget easily. That's why you should download WordUp: Smart reminders, word games, AI practice, and much more!
Video examples
The Japanese myth of the...
and the salesman was about to turn back, when he heard a high-pitched yelp coming from the edge of the forest. Following the screams to their source, he discovered a trapped tanuki. While these racoon-like creatures were known for their wily ways, this one appeared terrified and powerless.
Video examples
Johanna Figueira:...
to guide us. We'd see so many other hackathons that came up with wily, ambitious, incredible technological solutions that sounded great in theory but ultimately failed to work in the actual countries they were intended to help. Many of us have been living abroad for years,
Video examples
Sonia Shah: 3 reasons we...
which is probably the biggest reason of all. The first reason is certainly scientific. This little parasite that causes malaria, it's probably one of the most complex and wily pathogens known to humankind. It lives half its life inside the cold-blooded mosquito
Video examples
The myth of Prometheus -...
and dependent on the gods for protection. However, Prometheus envisioned his crude creations with a greater purpose. So when Zeus asked him to decide how sacrifices would be made, the wily Prometheus planned a trick that would give humans some advantage.
Video examples
How Thor got his hammer...
So Loki rushed to their realm, deep within the mountains of the earth. Even before he arrived, the wily Loki was already scheming how he would get the dwarves to do his bidding. He decided that his best bet was to pit two families against each other.
Video examples
The Secret Life of...
like stilts which is actually a crucial adaptation for soft swampy soil narupa says the rain forest is full of little innovations like this sometimes they're wily sometimes they're beautiful but each one shows just how clever plant life can be
Video examples
Safari Live - Day 316 PIPE...
looking at the victim for a change with the scrub hair right here regarded by the sand as a very intelligent animal he is very wily and very sort of capable of determining and figuring out things and quite a term of endearment towards them
Video examples
A climate change...
that bind the carbon to the surfaces of the minerals. See when carbon is entrapped in soil, in these kinds of associations with soil minerals, even the wiliest of the microbes can't easily degrade it. And carbon that's not degrading fast
Video examples
Elephant with a Broken...
tenacity she's a real wily old survivor often when we find her she's lagging far behind the rest of the herd so she doesn't really have downtime like the rest of the elephants she struggles hard you can see the strain that her body has
Video examples
The amazing brains and...
and these children can do that. But guess what? We find recently that the wily cuttlefish also has this ability, and in experiments last summer, when you present a cuttlefish with different foods at different times,
Video examples
The Japanese myth of the...
and the salesman was about to turn back, when he heard a high-pitched yelp coming from the edge of the forest. Following the screams to their source, he discovered a trapped tanuki. While these racoon-like creatures were known for their wily ways, this one appeared terrified and powerless.
Video examples
Johanna Figueira:...
to guide us. We'd see so many other hackathons that came up with wily, ambitious, incredible technological solutions that sounded great in theory but ultimately failed to work in the actual countries they were intended to help. Many of us have been living abroad for years,
Video examples
Sonia Shah: 3 reasons we...
which is probably the biggest reason of all. The first reason is certainly scientific. This little parasite that causes malaria, it's probably one of the most complex and wily pathogens known to humankind. It lives half its life inside the cold-blooded mosquito
Video examples
The myth of Prometheus -...
and dependent on the gods for protection. However, Prometheus envisioned his crude creations with a greater purpose. So when Zeus asked him to decide how sacrifices would be made, the wily Prometheus planned a trick that would give humans some advantage.
Video examples
How Thor got his hammer...
So Loki rushed to their realm, deep within the mountains of the earth. Even before he arrived, the wily Loki was already scheming how he would get the dwarves to do his bidding. He decided that his best bet was to pit two families against each other.
Video examples
The Secret Life of...
like stilts which is actually a crucial adaptation for soft swampy soil narupa says the rain forest is full of little innovations like this sometimes they're wily sometimes they're beautiful but each one shows just how clever plant life can be
Video examples
Safari Live - Day 316 PIPE...
looking at the victim for a change with the scrub hair right here regarded by the sand as a very intelligent animal he is very wily and very sort of capable of determining and figuring out things and quite a term of endearment towards them
Video examples
A climate change...
that bind the carbon to the surfaces of the minerals. See when carbon is entrapped in soil, in these kinds of associations with soil minerals, even the wiliest of the microbes can't easily degrade it. And carbon that's not degrading fast
Video examples
Elephant with a Broken...
tenacity she's a real wily old survivor often when we find her she's lagging far behind the rest of the herd so she doesn't really have downtime like the rest of the elephants she struggles hard you can see the strain that her body has
Video examples
The amazing brains and...
and these children can do that. But guess what? We find recently that the wily cuttlefish also has this ability, and in experiments last summer, when you present a cuttlefish with different foods at different times,
Example 1 of 10
Quote examples
Fred Silverman
American Producer
You find a personality whom you think the TV audience will embrace and find a format that is tailor-made for the personality. In the case of Andy Griffith, we moved the personality of a wily country shark - a funny and shrewd guy - into another arena. In this case, he is a lawyer, and it is a dramatic series.
Quote examples
Roger McGuinn
American Musician
I think the Internet is an awful lot like FM radio was when it broke out in the late '60s. It's kind of a wild and wily kind of format. They could play 20 songs in a row that had the word 'blue' in them, or whatever they wanted to do.
Quote examples
Mark McKinnon
American Businessman
Weary of wily politicians who say one thing and do another, voters and advocacy groups insist presidential contenders commit to the cause du jour in writing, but candidates are foolish to comply. Words matter.
Quote examples
Andrew Neil
British Journalist
The old Establishment has always preserved its position by not being too exclusive - it has been wily enough to absorb the up-and-coming and convert them to their attitudes and mannerisms.
Quote examples
Christopher Priest
American Writer
If I could make Panther tough, mysterious, wily, and often at odds with his 'Avengers' comrades, that was a character I'd find interesting.
Quote examples
Robin DiAngelo
American Educator
White people are very wily when it comes to race. We will do everything that we can to get out from under the idea of race.
Quote examples
P. J. O'Rourke
American Comedian
America is not a wily, sneaky nation. We don't think that way. We don't think much at all, thank God.
Quote examples
Fred Silverman
American Producer
You find a personality whom you think the TV audience will embrace and find a format that is tailor-made for the personality. In the case of Andy Griffith, we moved the personality of a wily country shark - a funny and shrewd guy - into another arena. In this case, he is a lawyer, and it is a dramatic series.
Quote examples
Roger McGuinn
American Musician
I think the Internet is an awful lot like FM radio was when it broke out in the late '60s. It's kind of a wild and wily kind of format. They could play 20 songs in a row that had the word 'blue' in them, or whatever they wanted to do.
Quote examples
Mark McKinnon
American Businessman
Weary of wily politicians who say one thing and do another, voters and advocacy groups insist presidential contenders commit to the cause du jour in writing, but candidates are foolish to comply. Words matter.
Quote examples
Andrew Neil
British Journalist
The old Establishment has always preserved its position by not being too exclusive - it has been wily enough to absorb the up-and-coming and convert them to their attitudes and mannerisms.
Quote examples
Christopher Priest
American Writer
If I could make Panther tough, mysterious, wily, and often at odds with his 'Avengers' comrades, that was a character I'd find interesting.
Quote examples
Robin DiAngelo
American Educator
White people are very wily when it comes to race. We will do everything that we can to get out from under the idea of race.
Quote examples
P. J. O'Rourke
American Comedian
America is not a wily, sneaky nation. We don't think that way. We don't think much at all, thank God.
Example 1 of 7
WordUp Chrome Extension
As you browse the web instantly look up words you don’t know.
Get Chrome Extension