guile
- 01 C2 Proficiency
clever and dishonest behavior that people use to trick others.
astuteness marked by cunning, artful deception, or duplicity. Uncountable in this abstract sense.
Simple“The politician used all his guile to win the election without making any promises.”
In context“The protagonist in the novel relies more on his native guile than on physical strength to navigate the treacherous royal court.”
UsageUsually functions as an uncountable noun; often paired with verbs like 'use', 'employ', or 'rely on'.
“Which they did, until the 42nd minute when the guile of Tielemans and Fernandes combined in a move that sliced through Sabah and showed up a callowness at elite level.”
“Cucurella, replacing Ferland Mendy, brings guile and tactical savvy, supporting Vinicius Junior on the left.”
From Middle English gile, from Anglo-Norman gile, from Old French guile (“deception”), from Frankish wīl (“ruse”), from Proto-Germanic wīlą, from Proto-Indo-European *wey- (“to turn, bend”). Cognate via Proto-Germanic with wile.
Variant forms.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.