" slyness "

1: skill in achieving one's ends through indirect, subtle, or underhanded means;

  * e.g., " ... the slyness with which the FBI agent infiltrated the subversive organization without their knowledge was indeed impressive "

•  Synonyms : 

•  artfulness,

•  artifice,

•  caginess,

•  canniness,

•  craft,

•  craftiness,

•  cunning,

•  cunningness,

•  deviousness,

•  foxiness,

•  guile,

•  guilefulness,

•  slickness,

•  sneakiness,

•  subtleness,

•  subtlety,

•  wiliness

•  Antonyms : 

• (N/A)

1: clever at attaining one's ends by indirect and often deceptive means;

  * e.g., " ... the movie pairs a sly, dissembling ex-con with an upstanding, straight-arrow cop "

•  Synonyms : 

•  artful,

•  beguiling,

•  cagey,

•  crafty,

•  cunning,

•  cute,

•  designing,

•  devious,

•  dodgy,

•  foxy,

•  guileful,

•  scheming,

•  shrewd,

•  slick,

•  subtle,

•  tricky,

•  wily

•  Antonyms : 

•  artless,

•  guileless,

•  ingenuous,

•  innocent,

•  undesigning

2: given to acting in secret and to concealing one's intentions;

  * e.g., " ... why, you sly fellow! I had no idea you were planning my birthday party "

•  Synonyms : 

•  furtive,

•  shady,

•  shifty,

•  slippery,

•  sneaking,

•  sneaky,

•  stealthy

•  Antonyms : 

• (N/A)

3: tending to or exhibiting reckless playfulness;

  * e.g., " ... a sly sense of humor "

•  Synonyms : 

•  arch,

•  devilish,

•  elvish,

•  espiègle,

•  impish,

•  knavish,

•  leprechaunish,

•  mischievous,

•  pixie,

•  pixieish,

•  prankish,

•  puckish,

•  rascally,

•  roguish,

•  scampish,

•  tricksy,

•  waggish,

•  wicked

•  Antonyms : 

• (N/A)