guile

/ɡaɪl/ (bre, ipa) · /ɡaɪl/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈgī(-ə)l/ (ame, mw)

guile — noun

1. smart, calculating behaviour aimed at misleading or outwitting other people — of

1.名詞C1
釋義

smart, calculating behaviour aimed at misleading or outwitting other people — often through flattery, half-truths, or staged charm rather than open lies.

例句

Eitan used guile to talk the old farmer into selling the land for half its value.

use guile to + infinitive

The young fox relied on guile rather than strength to steal eggs from the henhouse.

rely on guile rather than [quality]

同義詞
  • cunning

    very close synonym; slightly more neutral and more common in everyday speech.

  • craftiness

    more negative; emphasises sneaky scheming rather than smart manoeuvring.

  • duplicity

    stronger; specifically about saying one thing and doing another.

  • wiles

    plural countable; usually refers to small tricks, often charming or flirtatious ones.

反義詞
  • candour

    open, straightforward honesty — the opposite quality.

  • naivety

    lack of the worldly cleverness that makes guile possible.

文法句型

use guile to do something

by guile

用法筆記

Uncountable: never used with 'a' or in the plural ('a guile', 'guiles' are both wrong). Often paired with 'cunning', 'charm', or 'wit' in lists describing how someone gets their way.

常見錯誤

❌She tricked him with a guile.
✅She tricked him with guile.
💡'guile' is uncountable; no article.
❌The thief used many guiles.
✅The thief used many tricks' or 'used a lot of guile.
💡no plural form.