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sly

Syllabification: (sly)
Pronunciation: /slī/

Translate sly | into French | into German | into Italian | into Spanish
Definition of sly

adjective (slyer, slyest)

  • having or showing a cunning and deceitful nature:she had a sly personality
  • (of a remark, glance, or facial expression) showing in an insinuating way that one has some secret knowledge that may be harmful or embarrassing:he gave a sly grin
  • (of an action) surreptitious:a sly sip of water

Phrases

on the sly

in a secretive fashion:she was drinking on the sly

Derivatives

slyly

(also slily) adverb

slyness

noun

Origin:

Middle English (also in the sense 'dexterous'): from Old Norse slœgr 'cunning', originally 'able to strike', from the verb slá; compare with sleight

sly in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of sly in the British & World English dictionary

Nearby words

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