sneaky

adjective

ˈsnē-kē How to pronounce sneaky (audio)
sneakier; sneakiest
Synonyms of sneakynext
: marked by stealth, furtiveness, or shiftiness
a sneaky trick
sneakily
ˈsnē-kə-lē How to pronounce sneaky (audio)
adverb
sneakiness
ˈsnē-kē-nəs How to pronounce sneaky (audio)
noun

Synonyms of sneaky

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Examples of sneaky in a Sentence

They make it look like you're getting a lot more than you really are. It's a sneaky trick. It's a sneaky way of getting people to buy something they don't need.
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Kenny Dillingham continues to rise, following up a Big 12 championship with a sneaky-impressive eight-win season while battling a rash of injuries last year. — Chris Vannini, New York Times, 18 Aug. 2026 Pleasants has the temperament and a sneaky-enough anchor to play on the interior, but the Niners can’t even rep him at guard right now. — Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 17 Aug. 2026 Worse still, the messages can be encoded such that a human trying to figure out what is going on will be unable to decode the sneaky digital traffic. — Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2026 And don’t be afraid to protect yourself and your skin from all those sneaky germs lurking around you, hemlines aside. — Kara Nesvig, Allure, 10 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for sneaky

Word History

First Known Use

1833, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of sneaky was in 1833

Rhymes for sneaky

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Browse Nearby Words

sneak up on
sneaky
sneap
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Cite this Entry

“Sneaky.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sneaky. Accessed 19 Aug. 2026.

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Kids Definition

sneaky

adjective
ˈsnē-kē How to pronounce sneaky (audio)
sneakier; sneakiest
1
: behaving in a sly or secret manner
2
: marked by secrecy or slyness
a sneaky trick
sneakily
-kə-lē How to pronounce sneaky (audio)
adverb
sneakiness
-kē-nəs How to pronounce sneaky (audio)
noun

More from Merriam-Webster on sneaky

Nglish: Translation of sneaky for Spanish Speakers

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