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Skittish vs Sly - What's the difference?

skittish | sly |

As adjectives the difference between skittish and sly

is that skittish is easily scared or startled; timid while sly is artfully cunning; secretly mischievous; wily.

As an adverb sly is

slyly.

skittish

English

Adjective

(en adjective)
  • Easily scared or startled; timid.
    • The cat likes people he knows, but he is skittish around strangers.
  • wanton; changeable; fickle
    • Skittish Fortune's hall. — Shakespeare.

    Synonyms

    * spookish * jumpy * squirrelly

    Derived terms

    * skittishly * skittishness

    See also

    * startle

    sly

    English

    (Webster 1913)

    Alternative forms

    * (l) (obsolete)

    Adjective

  • Artfully cunning; secretly mischievous; wily.
  • Dexterous in performing an action, so as to escape notice; nimble; skillful; cautious; shrewd; knowing; — in a good sense.
  • Done with, and marked by, artful and dexterous secrecy; subtle; as, a sly trick.
  • Light or delicate; slight; thin.

    • Synonyms

    * artful * cunning * knowing * sharp * crafty * shrewd * shifty * sly as a fox * slim * wily * See also

    Derived terms

    * sly as a fox * slyboots * slyness

    External links

    * *

    Adverb

  • Slyly.

    • Anagrams

    * ----