Meaning & use
wiles
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“wiles” is a form of “wile”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meaning
nounpluraldisapproving
clever tricks or charming behavior used to persuade or deceive someone.
Grammar: Always plural in this meaning; the singular 'wile' is rare.
Patterns
- use one's wiles
- feminine wiles
- the wiles of someone
She used her wiles to get the information she wanted.
He was not fooled by the wiles of the salesman.
The politician's wiles won him many supporters.
Word forms
| singular | wile |
|---|
Common combinations
- feminine wiles
- She relied on feminine wiles to charm the crowd.
- use one's wiles
- He used his wiles to avoid answering the question.
- the wiles of the devil
- The story warns against the wiles of the devil.
Synonyms and how they differ
- tricks
- Tricks are more direct and less charming; wiles often involve flattery or charm.
- guile
- Guile is a more formal word for clever deceit, often without charm.
- artifice
- Artifice suggests a clever device or strategy, not necessarily charming.
Opposites
Word family
- wily adjective
- clever at getting what you want, often by deceiving people
Commonly confused: wiles or whiles?
wiles vs whiles
Whiles is an old word meaning 'while' or 'times'; it is not related to tricks.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'wiles' correctly?
Choose one answer.
Option 0 is correct because wiles means clever tricks or charm used to persuade. Option 1 is wrong because wiles are not physical objects. Option 2 is wrong because wiles is plural and takes a plural verb. Option 3 is wrong because 'a wile' is not used in this sense.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “wiles”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.