1
as in ruse
a clever often underhanded means to achieve an end
had to use all of her wiles to convince her guests to stay for dinner
Synonyms & Similar Words
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2
as in deception
the use of clever underhanded actions to achieve an end
it took both wile and cajolery to talk him into it
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in to fascinate
to attract or delight as if by magic
her stories of the Old South could wile anyone
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of wile
Evie Carrick, Travel + Leisure, 10 Feb. 2025
Several leaders have put out appeals to get funding for salaries related to the PEPFAR program, wile others have terminated staff running their HIV programs, the head of a non-profit told the Miami Herald.
—Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 6 Feb. 2025
Them, 23 Dec. 2024
Disney is betting travelers will be wiling to pay a premium for an elevated Disney experience.
—Bruce Gil, Quartz, 9 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for wile
Noun
The crowd is made up of hard-core skiers and riders undeterred by the wiles of nature or the perils of big-mountain skiing.
—Evie Carrick, Travel + Leisure, 10 Feb. 2025
Several leaders have put out appeals to get funding for salaries related to the PEPFAR program, wile others have terminated staff running their HIV programs, the head of a non-profit told the Miami Herald.
—Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 6 Feb. 2025
Verb
Will Smith stars as a penniless Anthony Ramos lookalike fish named Oscar, who wiles away his days scrubbing cetaceans’ tongues clean in the 'Whale Wash,' fantasizing about the good life.
—Them, 23 Dec. 2024
Disney is betting travelers will be wiling to pay a premium for an elevated Disney experience.
—Bruce Gil, Quartz, 9 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for wile
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wile
Noun
-
The Republicans’ billionaire populism has always been a ruse.—
Jim Miller,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
5 June 2025
-
For the artist Christina Ramberg, watching her mother getting dressed for parties—in particular, putting on a corset called a merry widow, which gave her an hourglass figure—revealed the extent to which the female form was a ruse.—
Jane Yong Kim,
The Atlantic,
30 May 2025
Noun
-
But these seductions or deceptions are canceled when the work confronts us with the photographic records of the performative procedure itself—and not only by making the photograph an integral component, the dialectical complement to the material sculptural production.—
Benjamin H. D. Buchloh,
Artforum,
1 June 2025
-
He’s got some deception on the puck and does a good job holding onto it to wait for secondary options to open up, but slows the game down too much.—
Scott Wheeler,
New York Times,
29 May 2025
Verb
-
Do different cultures engage with Napoleon’s legacy differently? PJC: The Anglo-Saxons are fascinated by the romantic aspect of his period as an exile.—
Anthony DeMarco,
Forbes.com,
3 June 2025
-
As for Mourinho, Greenhalgh was fascinated by his approach.—
Stuart James,
New York Times,
31 May 2025
Noun
-
The secret trick of reconciliation is that Congress gets a chance to add tweaks to the budget — to reconcile it — twice every federal fiscal year.—
Chris Stirewalt,
The Hill,
30 May 2025
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The trick was to keep them distant and yet connected, and find ways to not make the audience wait to see their chemistry, because the John Corbett and Sarah Jessica Parker chemistry is undeniable and a gift.—
Jackie Strause,
HollywoodReporter,
29 May 2025
Noun
-
Press play below to learn more about Wells’ treachery, and to get a sneak peek at the fugitive interacting with her latest target.—
Matt Webb Mitovich,
TVLine,
7 Apr. 2025
-
Sinners is one of the great vampire movies of the modern age, mining the legend of these perpetual outsiders who desperately yearn to belong, but whose silky promises are rooted in treachery.—
Stephanie Zacharek,
Time,
29 Apr. 2025
Verb
-
Moore's Michaela is mysterious, commanding, and beyond wealthy, described in the trailer and elsewhere as someone with the ability to charm into subservience.—
Randall Colburn,
EW.com,
22 May 2025
-
Viewers on TikTok were charmed by the emotional reunion.—
Lydia Patrick,
MSNBC Newsweek,
20 May 2025
Noun
-
At the end of February, a pedestrian was hit in West London by an ebike rider in West London — not a rental or sharing scheme, to be clear — and died after a month in hospital.—
Nicole Kobie,
Forbes.com,
6 June 2025
-
Though details of how the gambling operation functioned have not been released, HSI Tampa said in its post the scheme generated more than $21.6 million in illicit proceeds.—
Cristóbal Reyes,
The Orlando Sentinel,
5 June 2025
Noun
-
All three threats target key parts of people’s digital lives: email attachments that lead to fake login pages, multi-factor authentication trickery and deceptive calendar invites.—
Roxana Popescu,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
3 June 2025
-
Other than the trickery of time and subjectivity (and the occasional suitcase), there is little carried over from one story to the next.—
Jessica Kiang,
Variety,
22 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Wile.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wile. Accessed 10 Jun. 2025.
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