Slier

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Having a greater ability to achieve aims by cleverness or deceit
2. Showing increased slyness or skill in trickery compared to others
3. Displaying a more shrewd or artful approach in handling situations

Etymology: "Slier" is the comparative of "sly", so it means more cunning. The adjective "sly" comes from Old Norse, and its nearest living relatives are Icelandic "slægur" and Norwegian Nynorsk "sløg", both meaning crafty or sly. In English, "sly" is linked to the verbs "slay" and "sleight" (as in sleight of hand), so the sense of skill and trickery runs through the family. The comparison with German and Dutch is a common trap. Dutch "sluw" and German "schlau" look almost identical in meaning, and the two words are often assumed to be cousins. Most scholars consider this unlikely: the resemblance is coincidental, and the English word's ancestry points north rather than toward the Low Countries.

Synonyms: cunning, craftier, sneakier

Antonyms: honest, straightforward, naive