Wily Meaning
/ˈwaɪ.li/Definition, CEFR level C2, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
adjSly, cunning, full of tricks.
Sentence Examples
I know him, a wily, cheeky lad.
Tom is a very wily person.
He plays a wily detective with a penchant for disguises.
CEFR Practice Quiz
The ____ fox managed to steal the chicken from the farm without being caught.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The ____ fox managed to escape from the hunters by hiding in a narrow and very dark hole in the woods today.
Word Origin & History
From Middle English wily, wiley, wyly. By surface analysis, wil(e) + -y.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"Of all the medical monsters Peter Hotez could have set out to slay, the Yale University researcher could not have chosen a more wily and obscure villain than the hookworm."
— 1996 October 6, William Hathaway, “PARASITE LINKS MEN IN DARING VENTURE”, in Hartford Courant, archived from the original on 28 Nov 2020:
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CEFR Practice Quiz
The ____ fox managed to steal the chicken from the farm without being caught.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The ____ fox managed to escape from the hunters by hiding in a narrow and very dark hole in the woods today.