Standard Lemma guide

slyness

noun · 3 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -aɪnəs
  • CMU ARPABET: S L AY1 N AH0 S Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

The state or quality of being sly.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: uncountable

Examples

  • With his natural slyness, he was able to talk his way out of trouble.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

The result or product of being sly.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

shrewdness as demonstrated by being skilled in deception

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: craft, craftiness, cunning, foxiness, guile, wiliness

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: shrewdness, astuteness, perspicacity, perspicaciousness

History

Etymology

From Middle English slynesse. By surface analysis, sly + -ness.

Across languages

Translations

7 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Basque: azerikeria — quality of being sly
  • Middle English: slynesse — quality of being sly
  • Turkish: kurnazlık — quality of being sly
  • Turkish: cerbeze — quality of being sly
  • Ottoman Turkish: قورنازلق (kurnazlık) — quality of being sly
  • Ottoman Turkish: شیطانلق (şeytanlık) — quality of being sly
  • Ottoman Turkish: جربزه (cerbeze) — quality of being sly