sly

4 definitions • 5 examples

deceiving people in a clever way in order to get what you want:

He's a sly old devil - I wouldn't trust him with my money.

seeming to know secrets:

sly smile "You'll find out eventually," said Mary, with a sly smile.

If you do something on the sly, you do it secretly because you should not be doing it:

He drives his mother's car on the sly while she's at work.

not letting others know true opinions or intentions, or dishonest:

She thought that by being sly, she could fool people.

A cat can be a very sly animal.