1
as in shady
given to acting in secret and to concealing one's intentions
his opponent's sneaky campaign manager was clearly up to something
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in sneak
undertaken or done so as to escape being observed or known by others
a sneaky plan to replace the priceless painting with a copy
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of sneaky
Bleacher Report's Kerry Miller recently suggested the Pirates could be a sneaky candidate in the race to sign Texas Rangers free agent Andrew Heaney.
—
Joel Thayer, Newsweek, 27 Jan. 2025
Another sneaky tactic is phishing, where scammers trick you into giving away your card info by posing as legitimate companies via emails or fake websites.
—Kurt Knutsson, Cyberguy Report, Fox News, 26 Jan. 2025
Though some are forgotten or not necessarily seen as much in grocery stores now, Southerners will recognize these vintage food products that might be the sneaky trick to perfecting Southern cuisine.
—Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 26 Jan. 2025
Microsoft users are certainly under the security cosh right now, what with new and sneaky 2FA bypass threats, critical Outlook vulnerabilities, high-speed password hacking attacks and warnings for users of Windows 10 all hitting the headlines.
—Davey Winder, Forbes, 20 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for sneaky 
Joel Thayer, Newsweek, 27 Jan. 2025
Another sneaky tactic is phishing, where scammers trick you into giving away your card info by posing as legitimate companies via emails or fake websites.
—Kurt Knutsson, Cyberguy Report, Fox News, 26 Jan. 2025
Though some are forgotten or not necessarily seen as much in grocery stores now, Southerners will recognize these vintage food products that might be the sneaky trick to perfecting Southern cuisine.
—Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 26 Jan. 2025
Microsoft users are certainly under the security cosh right now, what with new and sneaky 2FA bypass threats, critical Outlook vulnerabilities, high-speed password hacking attacks and warnings for users of Windows 10 all hitting the headlines.
—Davey Winder, Forbes, 20 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for sneaky
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sneaky
Adjective
-
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
-
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
-
The best part of the sketch isn’t its sly picture of Gen X’s slow fade into conformity, but Jason Sudeikis as the groom’s father who is unironically into the performance.—
Harrison Richlin,
IndieWire,
11 Feb. 2025
-
Charlie Shackleton’s sly film Zodiac Killer Project lives inside this conceptual limbo — nebulously sinister and dryly hilarious all at once.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
27 Jan. 2025
Adjective
-
Brendan Marks and Matt Baker uncovered documents that illustrate North Carolina’s clandestine research into conference realignment.—
Chris Branch,
The Athletic,
12 Feb. 2025
-
This defiant and entertaining work playfully uses headshots and avatars to visualize clandestine audio recordings documenting years of Kafkaesque impositions, threats, and vital dissident art.—
Samantha Bergeson,
IndieWire,
10 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
Russia would also assist India in developing its own stealthy fifth-generation fighter jet like the American F-22 and F-35, as well as the Chinese J-20 that are in service, the report added.—
Yaakov Katz,
Newsweek,
7 Feb. 2025
-
From deadly strikes to stealthy surveillance to remote resupply, their applications abound.—
Colin Demarest,
Axios,
5 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
The series also highlighted how Illinois statutes provide a degree of protection to politicians. To prosecute their case, the feds brought charges against Madigan after extensive wiretapping and cooperation from two undercover moles, former 25th Ward Ald.—
Megan Crepeau,
Chicago Tribune,
16 Feb. 2025
-
In May 2023, an undercover police officer went into the Schenectady deli and grocery where Alaidrus was working behind the counter.—
Muri Assunção,
New York Daily News,
13 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
Universal revealed character details for each of the film's leads, which can be read below: Academy Award® nominee Johansson plays skilled covert operations expert Zora Bennett, contracted to lead a skilledteam on a top-secret mission to secure the genetic material.—
Thomas G. Moukawsher,
Newsweek,
5 Feb. 2025
-
Johansson plays covert operations expert Zora Bennett, who leads the top-secret mission.—
Samantha Bergeson,
IndieWire,
5 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
Those underground punks went so hard that NBC was bombarded with complaints in real time, leading the network to cut away from the performance to a pre-recorded sketch.—
Shannon Carlin,
TIME,
15 Feb. 2025
-
As previously reported by The News, the MTA has been struggling to fix a 2,000 foot underground pipe at the facility since 2021, when the line responsible for feeding the sprinkler system from the city main failed to hold pressure.—
Evan Simko-Bednarski,
New York Daily News,
15 Feb. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near sneaky
Cite this Entry
“Sneaky.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sneaky. Accessed 22 Feb. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share