sly, cunning, crafty, wily, tricky, foxy, artful, slick mean attaining or seeking to attain one's ends by guileful or devious means. sly implies furtiveness, lack of candor, and skill in concealing one's aims …

She thought that by being sly, she could fool people. A cat can be a very sly animal.

If you describe someone as sly, you disapprove of them because they keep their feelings or intentions hidden and are clever at deceiving people.

Define sly. sly synonyms, sly pronunciation, sly translation, English dictionary definition of sly. adj. sli·er , sli·est also sly·er or sly·est 1. Clever or cunning, especially in the practice of deceit. 2. Stealthy or …

SLY definition: cunning or wily. See examples of sly used in a sentence.

Definition of sly adjective in Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary. Meaning, pronunciation, picture, example sentences, grammar, usage notes, synonyms and more.

There are 15 meanings listed in OED's entry for the word sly, four of which are labelled obsolete. See ‘Meaning & use’ for definitions, usage, and quotation evidence.

sly (slī), adj., sly•er or sli•er, sly•est or sli•est, n. adj. cunning or wily: sly as a fox. stealthy, insidious, or secret. playfully artful, mischievous, or roguish: sly humor. n. on the sly, secretly; furtively: a tryst on …

What does sly mean? Cunning, crafty, or deceitful in a subtle or sneaky manner. "His sly remark revealed his true intentions behind the seemingly innocent conversation."

When you're sly, you're crafty, cunning, tricky, and wily. Being sly is being deceitful, though not in the worst way.