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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Another male ally to the women’s crimes is Walter (Elijah Wood), a fellow citizen detective of Misty’s who uses his wealth and cunning to bury Shauna’s murder case once and for all.—
Proma Khosla,
IndieWire,
12 Feb. 2025 -
Thomas adds that much like Capricorns — known for their great ambition and perseverance to reach the top — Luthor is also strategic, cunning and powerful.—
Athena Sobhan,
People.com,
7 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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It’s got a slim, high-rise fit with a deceptive amount of cargo space that includes tennis ball pockets and side pockets.—
Clint Davis,
People.com,
10 Feb. 2025
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Phishing campaigns leverage compromised accounts or domains to send deceptive invitations, luring victims into downloading harmful files.—
Kurt Knutsson, CyberGuy Report,
Fox News,
10 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Jang Theo was incredibly head over heels for her and showered her with gifts and cute gestures.—
Lea Veloso,
StyleCaster,
11 Feb. 2025
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This is her husband, and the texts are [in] that weird gray area…where, like, the texts are too cute.—
Vlada Gelman,
TVLine,
10 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Often fraudulent communications claiming to be from the IRS or associated individuals can have typos or other mistakes in them, but with artificial intelligence, these communications are more sophisticated and scams can be harder to spot.—
Cheryl Winokur Munk,
CNBC,
7 Feb. 2025
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According to Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg, at least 200 teachers were falsely certified as part of the conspiracy, via over 400 fraudulent tests, with the scheme dating back to at least May 2020.—
Yaakov Katz,
Newsweek,
7 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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China reacted angrily Monday to new State Department wording that appeared to indicate a subtle shift in favor of Taipei.—
Christian Shepherd The Washington Post,
arkansasonline.com,
18 Feb. 2025
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This style can be easily individualized with soft braids, details creating a subtle crown effect.—
Calin Van Paris,
Vogue,
18 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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More and more people are seeing it as a chill, wellness thing rather than something shady or taboo.—
Matt Rozo,
The Mercury News,
4 Feb. 2025
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If your yard is shady, for example, think ahead to find a plant that does not require full sun.—
Beth Botts,
Chicago Tribune,
2 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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That benchmark is unattainable because mankind is made of crooked timber, and our station in life is influenced by happenstances beyond our control — our parents, siblings, relatives and place of birth.—
Bruce Fein,
Baltimore Sun,
23 Jan. 2025
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Workers reported bent rafters, crooked columns and snapped cables before the building collapsed, according to OSHA.—
Nick Rosenberger,
Idaho Statesman,
31 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Some people were outright hostile to his presence, perhaps because solar bros are widely stereotyped as dishonest.—
Brendan I. Koerner,
WIRED,
13 Jan. 2025
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But the state’s Retained Risk Account does not cover any dishonest, fraudulent, criminal or malicious act, according to the document.—
Angela Palermo,
Idaho Statesman,
7 Jan. 2025
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Thesaurus Entries Near guileful
Cite this Entry
“Guileful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/guileful. Accessed 22 Feb. 2025.
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