1
as in cunning
clever at attaining one's ends by indirect and often deceptive means
tried to fix the game with a guileful plot to sabotage the other team's bats, but the umpire caught them
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in deceptive
given to or marked by cheating and deception
received a guileful answer when I asked the dealer if the used car had ever been in a collision
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for guileful
Adjective
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With time, cunning, and no irony, the Shuberts slew the Syndicate Goliath and built a monopolistic empire of their own that Justice Department lawyers would decades later force into an antitrust settlement.—
Frank Rich,
Vulture,
8 Apr. 2025 -
The mean girl, as we’ve been taught to recognize her, is cunning and charismatic.—
Shelby Stewart,
Essence,
8 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Battering ram with deceptive speed (4.51), but struggles catching the ball.—
Rob Reischel,
Forbes.com,
14 Apr. 2025
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In addition to his first-term tariffs, Trump also filed a formal World Trade Organization case against China, alleging deceptive trade practices and intellectual property theft.—
David Faris,
MSNBC Newsweek,
11 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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His grousing is interrupted by some very cute uncle moments with Maria and Tommy’s son, Benji, then Joel takes off just as Tommy gets back.—
Kimberly Roots,
TVLine,
13 Apr. 2025
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Snake Bird Vintage has a fantastic array of clothing and accessories in a cute repurposed garage.—
Kara Franker,
Southern Living,
13 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Ask if there was any suspicious account activity, such as a login from a new device, before the fraudulent charges occurred.—
Kurt Knutsson, CyberGuy Report,
FOXNews.com,
10 Apr. 2025
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Barker and the business owner — who pleaded guilty in February on charges in a separate indictment — agreed to deduct the true cost of the supplies from the fraudulent invoices and split the rest between them, according to the indictment.—
Natalie Demaree,
Miami Herald,
9 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Mulaney’s approach to social commentary on his show is even more subtle; sometimes, concentrating a sketch on a character like Willy Loman is enough.—
David Sims,
The Atlantic,
7 Apr. 2025
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The game is a fun but challenging exercise for your brain which asks players to group words based on subtle and sometimes tricky connections, which tests your logic and language skills.—
John W. Dean,
MSNBC Newsweek,
7 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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It’s implied that before going into construction, Levon had brought his military training into civilian life in some shady (though likely heroic) capacity or another — maybe even kidnap recovery.—
Peter Debruge,
Variety,
26 Mar. 2025
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During a recent conversation with legendary radio host Big Boy, the 26-year-old spoke about her haters and shady tension that led to this notion.—
Mya Abraham,
VIBE.com,
25 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Katt's other notable roles included that of teacher Harry Senate on the school drama Boston Public, crooked finance associate Greg Weinstein in Boiler Room, and detective Frank Duggar in Speakeasy.—
Kat Stinson,
EW.com,
14 Apr. 2025
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He’s been dropping tapes nonstop since 2022, as his method is really to flood the internet with his motivation music and unglamorous crime epics full of crooked cops, lookout boys, dealers, dope fiends, tricks, and urban decay.—
Alphonse Pierre,
Pitchfork,
11 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Here are some of the most affordable autos A Chinese brain chip company could soon surpass Elon Musk's Neuralink The 10 most dishonest states in America — according to Las Vegas defense lawyers Costco's Kirkland brand became a massive financial success.—
William Gavin,
Quartz,
31 Mar. 2025
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Attempting to separate Robinson’s baseball career from racial animus and conflict feels intellectually dishonest.—
Ken Makin,
Christian Science Monitor,
27 Mar. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Guileful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/guileful. Accessed 21 Apr. 2025.
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