1
as in cunning
skill in achieving one's ends through indirect, subtle, or underhanded means
he had an inherent guilefulness that made him a formidable power broker in Washington
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in deception
the inclination or practice of misleading others through lies or trickery
it was guilefulness and not goodness that got the gold digger her millions
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for guilefulness
Noun
-
Maybe the mere fact of having been born illustrious, with no apparent faults, with nothing to prove or to be ashamed of, had liberated John from the resentments the rest of us feel, and from the cunning and ambition such resentments fuel.—
Jeffrey Eugenides,
New Yorker,
4 Apr. 2026 -
The Brazil international combines technical craft with a decisive cunning.—
Carl Anka,
New York Times,
21 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Fascist propaganda works by distraction and deception.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
27 Apr. 2026
-
Meanwhile, Flores must continue to utilize deception to apply pressure on the opposing quarterback.—
Alec Lewis,
New York Times,
25 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
But whether this person galumphed, ambled, or dragged herself up the trail is a matter of what subtleties her movement suggested to you.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
1 May 2026
-
In an edition that was all about the subtleties of watchmaking, one had to keep their eyes peeled to get all the subtleties of what the exhibitors at Watches and Wonders packed into 40-something-millimeter formats.—
Lily Templeton,
Footwear News,
1 May 2026
Noun
-
Of course, the retort is that this would be irritating and exasperating to be continually deluged with alerts about AI deceptiveness.—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes.com,
24 Aug. 2025
-
Beyond the deceptiveness of the narrow material view, spiritual light and hope are always present to be found and felt.—
Sue Brightman,
Christian Science Monitor,
3 Jan. 2025
Noun
-
Mike Bowman, designer, furniture industry expert, and director of marketing for Harmonia Living, says this trend relies on furnishings to bring artfulness to a space—rather than just functionality.—
Patricia Shannon,
Better Homes & Gardens,
10 Jan. 2026
-
There is a real seriousness to the score — the scheming bad-guy music has the artfulness of Prokofiev, and even the sneaking-around cues have musical integrity and structure.—
Tim Greiving,
Vulture,
3 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Cohen also pointed to her work leading a task force that was convened by court order following a massive fraud scheme involving charter schools in San Diego.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
1 May 2026
-
The Timberwolves exposed the Nuggets as a fraud, a vapid former champion left as a chew toy in the mouth of hungry Wolves.—
Troy Renck,
Denver Post,
1 May 2026
Noun
-
When your foundation feels steady, everything else begins to move forward with more ease.—
Tarot.com,
New York Daily News,
1 May 2026
-
The duo had been teammates on LSU’s Elite Eight team in 2023-24, and Van Lith credits Reese for helping her ease into the WNBA.—
Kalen Lumpkins,
Chicago Tribune,
30 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Often, this is based on an accusation of fraud, deceit or misrepresentation.—
Mary Walrath-Holdridge,
USA Today,
28 Apr. 2026
-
Was the coach’s allegation of deceit required to dig it out of the Wolves?—
Jace Frederick,
Twin Cities,
27 Apr. 2026
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Cite this Entry
“Guilefulness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/guilefulness. Accessed 3 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
