1
as in shady
given to acting in secret and to concealing one's intentions
his opponent's sneaky campaign manager was clearly up to something
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in sneak
undertaken or done so as to escape being observed or known by others
a sneaky plan to replace the priceless painting with a copy
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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.
Recent Examples of sneaky
Taron Johnson got the entire Jets game off, but the Bills may have absorbed a sneaky big injury.
—
Joe Buscaglia, New York Times, 5 Jan. 2026
The Texas coach also reached into his bag of tricks with a nifty 19-yard run for a first down by Manning on a sneaky direct snap in the first half.
—Thomas Jones, Austin American Statesman, 1 Jan. 2026
Isnard doesn’t rely on sneaky coffee cup tests or trick questions to assess character.
—Orianna Rosa Royle, Fortune, 22 Dec. 2025
Ewedoos Wide Leg Stretchy Dress Pants The best dress pants feel like leggings, and this polished pair of wide-leg trousers delivers both sophistication and sneaky comfort.
—Mariana Best, Better Homes & Gardens, 20 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sneaky
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sneaky
Adjective
-
The bill is meant to explicitly prohibit that kind of shady transaction.—
-
As would giving Law an award for playing a shady restaurateur in Black Rabbit.—
Adjective
-
Get Ready: Katy Perry Has Released a Sneak Peek of Her New Song And the internet has receipts.—
Adjective
-
Not only is her delivery hilarious, but having Forest Whitaker’s daughter play an unabashed Hollywood nepo baby is a sly bit of meta casting that pays off big time here.—
-
In a performance space that felt more like an extended living room than a club, Keith Richards surveyed the crowd and flashed a sly smile.—
Adjective
-
The show’s original pair of fathers, who secretly orchestrate the clandestine love affair between their children, are now mothers.—
-
Saimar Rivas, Armas’s partner and a longtime civil-rights activist, told me that he had been taken to a clandestine site run by the SEBIN, Venezuela’s intelligence agency.—
Adjective
-
According to The War Zone, shortly after the cargo ship was first spotted with containerized missile systems, large stealthy drones resembling collaborative combat aircraft were seen positioned nearby on the dock.—
-
These stealthy insects are expert hitchhikers.—
Adjective
-
Nine years after foiling a lucrative weapons tradeoff and delivering Roper to Syrian captors, Pine has gone undercover again, eventually reuniting with foreign investigator Angela Burr (Colman) as an MI6 operative.—
-
Can the Faithfuls work together or will the Traitors go undercover and pick off the Faithfuls one by one?—
Adjective
-
Danish media reported that at least three people with connections to Trump carried out covert influence operations in Greenland.—
-
Federal statute mandates the president inform a bipartisan group of eight, high-ranking members of Congress prior to particularly covert operations.—
Adjective
-
The request for additional money was made after underground utility and other site placement needs were identified while designing a new floor plan.—
-
As Season 2 gets underway, commuters on an underground train are taken hostage, and authorities scramble to save hundreds of lives.—
Cite this Entry
“Sneaky.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sneaky. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share