First Known Use: 13th century
Dictionary
guile
noun \ˈgī(-ə)l\
: the use of clever and usually dishonest methods to achieve something
Full Definition of GUILE
2
— guile·ful \-fəl\ adjective
— guile·ful·ly \-fə-lē\ adverb
— guile·ful·ness noun
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Examples of GUILE
- By the end of Liebling's dispatch, Mollie has become a mythic figure invulnerable to death, capable of great feats of courage and guile, and able to transform himself into any human type for the purposes of disguise. —Lee Siegel, Harper's, December 2004
- The going was painfully slow, but Chickenhound consoled himself on the long journey by boosting his own ego. “Maybe a silly bunch of rats could put one over on Sela. Huh, she was old and had lost a lot of her guile. Not like me! They hadn't reckoned with a smart intelligent young fox like I am.” —Brian Jacques, Redwall, (1986) 2002
- Untrained human nature was not frank and innocent; it was full of the twists and defences of an instinctive guile. —Edith Wharton, The Age of Innocence, 1920
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Origin of GUILE
Middle English gile, from Anglo-French, probably of Germanic origin; akin to Old English wigle divination — more at witch
Related to GUILE
- Synonyms
- artfulness, artifice, caginess (also cageyness), canniness, craft, craftiness, cunningness, deviousness, foxiness, cunning, guilefulness, slickness, slyness, sneakiness, subtleness, subtlety, wiliness
- Antonyms
- artlessness, forthrightness, good faith, guilelessness, ingenuousness, sincerity
GUILEFULNESS Defined for Kids
guile
noun \ˈgīl\
Definition of GUILE for Kids
: the use of clever and often dishonest methods
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