Thesaurus.com
Dictionary.com
Definitions

sly

[slahy] / slaɪ /


Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

You have to be clever, not sly, in how you deal with it.

From BBC • May 8, 2026

“The long and winding road is more than a song,” he sings, with a sly wink to his Beatles past.

From Salon • Apr. 24, 2026

I saw his pale skin turned purple, his sly mouth gone flat.

From Slate • Apr. 23, 2026

Wouldn’t it be like this subtly sly author if the announcement turned out to be a narrative conceit—one last artful trick to cheat the end from arriving?

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 16, 2026

To make matters worse, I looked over at Abuela, and she was watching me with a sly smile.

From "The Epic Fail of Arturo Zamora" by Pablo Cartaya




Vocabulary lists containing sly