sly
Artfully cunning; secretly mischievous; wilyArtfully cunning; secretly mischievous; wily.
» Tom is a sly old dog.
Meaning
4 sensesArtfully cunning; secretly mischievous; wily.
schlau, gerissen, listig
хи́трыйxítryj, кова́рныйkovárnyj, лука́выйlukávyj
хи́трийxýtryj, лука́вийlukávyj
Dexterous in performing an action, so as to escape notice
ло́вкийlóvkij
Done with, and marked by, artful and dexterous secrecy; subtle
a sly trick
иску́сныйiskúsnyj
Light or delicate; slight; thin.
- marked by skill in deception
Examples
34 sentencesTom is a sly old dog.
Tom is as sly as a fox.
I don't like him because he's as sly as a fox.
Aren't you the sly one?
Tom is a sly fox.
Translations
9 languagesBy meaning 1
By meaning 3
By meaning 1
Origin
From Middle English sly, sley, sleigh, sleiȝ, from Old Norse slǿgr (“sly, cunning”, literaFrom Middle English sly, sley, sleigh, sleiȝ, from Old Norse slǿgr (“sly, cunning”, literally “capable of hitting or striking”), from Proto-Germanic *slōgiz (“lively, agile, cunning, sly, striking”), from Proto-Indo-European *slak- (“to hit, throw”).
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Forms
slier/slyer, sliest/slyestSynonyms
20 synonymsWord family
7 related wordsLessons for this word
2 lessons- A2Comparatives — Because it has a comparative form
- A2Superlatives — Because it has a superlative form