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guile

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Definition

cunning (shrewdness and cleverness) and deceitful

Her cleverness and inventiveness was exceeded only by her guile.

guile = cunning (shrewdness and cleverness) and deceit

She had a guilelessness sometimes found in a young child being raised in a protective home.

guilelessness = openness (lack of cunning and deceit)

(Editor's note: The suffix "-lessness" in guilelessness means in a state without. This is the same pattern you see in words like fearlessness, powerlessness, and harmlessness.)

Henin plays best on clay — a slow surface more suited to her thoughtfulness and guile.
Untrained human nature was not frank and innocent; it was full of the twists and defences of an instinctive guile.
Wharton, Edith -- The Age of Innocence
"Let not my lords be afraid," he said hastily, "for in my breast there dwells no guile."
Haggard, Rider H. -- King Solomon's Mines
The Colonel stared into vacancy, and I wondered whether anyone could be quite so innocent of guile as he looked.
Maugham, W. Somerset -- Moon and Sixpence
Poor Clarence, by thy guile betray'd to death!
Shakespeare, William -- King Richard III
She knew that he loved her—a frank, blustering fellow without guile enough to conceal his feelings, and no desire to do so.
Chopin, Kate -- The Awakening and Selected Short Stories
I bid you now drop your guile and confess...
Arthur Miller -- The Crucible

guile = cunning and deceit

...their eyes were knowing and guileful beyond their years.
Kamala Markandaya -- Nectar in a Sieve

guileful = full of cunning (shrewdness and cleverness, and perhaps deceit)

the guileless crowd that sang the national anthem
Gabriel Garcia Marquez -- Love in the Time of Cholera

guileless = sincere — without cunning (shrewdness, cleverness) or deceit

(Editor's note: The suffix "-less" in guileless means without. This is the same pattern you see in words like fearless, homeless, and endless.)

If Dad didn't let me have the materials I needed, I'd still get them, one way or another, no matter what it took—guile, tricks, or outright theft.
Homer Hickam -- October Sky

guile = cunning (shrewdness and cleverness) and deceitful

Miss Alavi was guileless in her approach, probably risking her life and certainly risking her freedom by even speaking with me.
Betty Mahmoody -- Not Without My Daughter

guileless = innocent — without cunning (shrewdness, cleverness)

(Editor's note: The suffix "-less" in guileless means without. This is the same pattern you see in words like fearless, homeless, and endless.)

Jared had specifically approved of Jamie's choice because of this guileless, vulnerable face that no one could ever doubt,
Stephenie Meyer -- The Host

guileless = without cunning or deceit

(Editor's note: The suffix "-less" in guileless means without. This is the same pattern you see in words like fearless, homeless, and endless.)

His eyes were as wide and guileless as those of his boy.
Kenneth Oppel -- Airborn

guileless = innocent — without cunning (shrewdness, cleverness) or deceit

(Editor's note: The suffix "-less" in guileless means without. This is the same pattern you see in words like fearless, homeless, and endless.)

Franny blew her nose with guileless abandon;
J.D. Salinger -- Franny and Zooey

guileless = without cunning (unconsidered)

(Editor's note: The suffix "-less" in guileless means without. This is the same pattern you see in words like fearless, homeless, and endless.)

With her smooth face, she looked like a young girl, frail, guileless, and innocent.
Amy Tan -- The Joy Luck Club

guileless = innocent — without cunning (shrewdness, cleverness) or deceit

(Editor's note: The suffix "-less" in guileless means without. This is the same pattern you see in words like fearless, homeless, and endless.)

Peter smiled then, so guileless that Lacy felt it smart like a stripe from a whip.
Jodi Picoult -- Nineteen Minutes

guileless = innocent (cunning or deceit)

(Editor's note: The suffix "-less" in guileless means without. This is the same pattern you see in words like fearless, homeless, and endless.)

My head swivels, but his expression is completely without guile.
Sara Gruen -- Water for Elephants

guile = cunning and deceitful

What is childlike humility? It's not the lack of intelligence, but the lack of guile. The lack of an agenda.
Todd Burpo -- Heaven Is for Real

guile = cunning (shrewdness and cleverness), and deceit

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