EN

Synonyms for crafty

  • adjective

Most common

wily cunning artful sly

All synonyms

Adjective

1. Wily — skillful at deceiving others

wily, cunning, artful, sly, foxy, clever, sneaky, astute, tricky, tricksy, canny, shrewd, deceitful, dexterous, dextrous UK, diabolical, wise, crooked, handy, insidious, slick, designing, dodgy informal

Antonyms

simple, artless, incompetent

All antonyms of crafty →

Definitions

  1. adj. 1

    Skillful at deceiving others.

Related words

Word family
craftily craftiness

Example sentences

  • cunning Tuaregs have a reputation for bravery and cunning.
  • sly She looked at me with a sly smile on her face.
  • artful Tom is such an artful dodger that he always finds a way to get out of trouble.
  • wily He plays a wily detective with a penchant for disguises.

Popularity over time

Word1850 → 2019Trend
craftyrising
cunningrising
slyrising
artfulrising
wilyrising

Use in printed books, per decade from 1850 to 2019.

By length

3 letters
sly1
4 letters
wise1, foxy2, wily2
5 letters
handy2, slick1, dodgy, canny2
6 letters
clever2, tricky2, sneaky2, astute2, shrewd1, artful2
7 letters
crooked2, cunning2, tricksy
8 letters
dextrous2
9 letters
designing3, insidious4, deceitful3, dexterous
10 letters
diabolical5

The small number after each word is its number of syllables (foxy2 = 2 syllables).