What's the difference between sneaky and wily?

Sneaky


Definition:

  • (n.) Like a sneak; sneaking.

Example Sentences:

  • (1) Males exploit this behavioural switch by increasing their sneaky mating attempts.
  • (2) "Fortunately Denmark seem to have rumbled this sneaky Dutch trick just in time to bench him... " 1 min: Denmark set the game in motion ... 2 min: Already the game has settled into the pattern we all foresaw, with Holland staking out the full width of the pitch and stroking the ball around deliberately.
  • (3) Expert view A sneaky, bar-room blow When Alexander Lebedev said he "neutralised" a man by punching him in the face on Russian television, he echoed the dark argot of the KGB, the agency of which he was a member long before spending a slice of his fortune on the Independent and the Evening Standard.
  • (4) The national team’s visit to Parramatta Stadium on Saturday night was no PR-stunt, nor was it a chance to simply get the boys out for the evening and avoid the temptation of a sneaky late-night visit to Kings Cross’ nightspots.
  • (5) Presidential candidate Marco Rubio escalated his criticism of his opponent Ted Cruz this week by suggesting a central component of the Texas senator’s tax plan was both “intentionally sneaky” and a “dangerous expansion of Washington’s power”.
  • (6) Marco Rubio accuses Ted Cruz of 'intentionally sneaky' tax policy Read more In a defiant statement announcing his boycott, the Paul campaign said: “By any reasonable criteria, Senator Paul has a top-tier campaign.
  • (7) Photograph: Garrett MacLean The sneaky bidder was trying to wait just until the end in hopes I wasn’t watching and snake the Terrys’ house out from us.
  • (8) On a rare occasion when they broke, Steven Fletcher endured the agony of a sneaky knee in the lower back from Fabricio Coloccini.
  • (9) Active for Life – a social enterprise organisation that promotes physical literacy – recommend doing this, and suggest a relay race in which students jump into and over various obstacles , or a rolling race in which students work together to move like “sneaky snakes” .
  • (10) That’s either lazy, sneaky or both.” Vanstone says the debate is not about anyone being weak on terrorists.
  • (11) Somehow, Seattle's fan base has become this larger than life entity that ranks with the best in the world, and strangely enough, this transformation seemed to happen under all of our noses, almost in a sneaky way.
  • (12) "He's gone down fighting," said the coach Ange Postecoglou , perhaps having a sneaky dig at Doncaster's relegation woes while he was at it.
  • (13) Last week I saw a man tweet: "Girl sat opposite on tube tried to take a sneaky photo of me.
  • (14) Collier apologised on Thursday and said he had no idea that the teenager, who was otherwise fully clothed and posing alongside an older man, was playing a prank commonly known as "sneaky nuts".
  • (15) She is bossy, domineering, abrasive, secretive, uptight and petty – but what really gets me is her serial use of covert, sneaky methods to get what she wants – often at my expense.
  • (16) But, what you don't get is a constantly updated stream of the most up to date publications; a sneaky peak of a chapter from a book on social work practice from @palgravesw , or free access to the best journal articles of the year thanks @routledge_phsc .
  • (17) So what if you had a very sneaky keylogger which waited until you were in a web browser and then sent its keylogging payload to its collection site?
  • (18) We’ve all been caught at various times having a sneaky listen to Euphoria .
  • (19) 82 min: Dempsey approaches the ref to show him blood seeping from his lip ... and the replay reveals the wound was caused by a sneaky clout from Yahia.
  • (20) Too many heavy meals, several large brandies, a few sneaky fags, plenty of afternoon naps, one unscheduled trip to Asda before a visit to the hydro-electric “northern powerhouse” and even the most limited of progress in EU renegotiations can feel like one giant leap for mankind.

Wily


Definition:

  • (superl.) Full of wiles, tricks, or stratagems; using craft or stratagem to accomplish a purpose; mischievously artful; subtle.

Example Sentences:

  • (1) They could go out and trade for a pitcher such as the New York Mets’ Bartolo Colón , an obvious choice despite his 41 years, but he would come with an $11m price tag for next season and have to pass through the waiver wires process first – considering the wily mood Billy Beane is in this year, the A’s could be the team that blocks such a move.
  • (2) A wily character, he initially refused, saying the deadline was impossible.
  • (3) Noted for his Savile Row suits and languid charm, he was nevertheless a tough and wily reporter in the field, using his wits to escape death on more than one occasion.
  • (4) The News of the World said it was £750,000 ("Wily Vanessa teamed up with PR to the stars Max Clifford and the pound signs began rolling in her eyes," its reporter claimed).
  • (5) on Saturday the Liberal Democrat peer Lord Oakeshott summed up the feelings of many in the party when he suggested that the "wily" Tories had deliberately used their coalition partners as shields to deflect public anger.
  • (6) Scotland shows how that can give an illusion of success which will evaporate at the moment of choice, especially when up against a wily and ruthless incumbent.
  • (7) The wily Brazilian, managing in a record sixth World Cup, said he would make "one, maybe two" changes to the starting line‑up.
  • (8) Wily and smart, she is more than a match for the suitors who attempt to claim her in his absence; and she is no pushover, either, when Odysseus finally turns up.
  • (9) Opinion polls in recent months have repeatedly shown that Tsvangirai's popularity has been hurt by divisions within the opposition and his own scandalous love-life , putting him and Mugabe neck-and-neck, with the wily president even edging in front on occasion.
  • (10) Harradine was a wily negotiator and kept Howard guessing on his support for the goods and services tax.
  • (11) Team spirit might be an ethereal quality that is difficult to quantify on scoreboards and league tables but Karanka has given confidence to the players he inherited, been a wily transfer dealer, particularly this season with the loan signings of the strikers Patrick Bamford and Jelle Vossen, and brought through young home-grown players from the club’s academy, such as Ben Gibson and Adam Reach, who are now integral members of the squad.
  • (12) But out of nothing, Frank Farina's men were awarded a penalty just before half-time won by the wily Del Piero.
  • (13) Guns, gates and guards can only provide so much protection against a wily, creative adversary who is willing to risk oblivion.
  • (14) The wily old tease may have been mugging for the studio audience, lapping up the howls of disappointment that no doubt followed such a statement.
  • (15) A blizzard of visual sexual signifiers – fake nails, big hair, Dita Von Teese figure balanced on impossibly high stilts – and her "Jessica Rabbit sex appeal" (again, self-proclaimed) belies a wily business brain.
  • (16) Wily Ukraine national coach Oleg Blokhin also tasted victory in court after he was forced to resign from the position because of his other job, as a Ukrainian MP.
  • (17) He flew to Brazil hoping to bring him back, but he had underestimated the wily Biggs whose girlfriend, Raimunda, announced that she was expecting his child.
  • (18) Wily David Carney chalked one up for the nay-saying ageists by outfoxing youngster Thomas Deng to execute a superb run and finish, one which was harder than it may have seemed.
  • (19) After Cantor fell, McCarthy showed himself a wily tactician, coming fast out of the block and letting it be known he was the heir apparent with the necessary votes, all but sealing the majority leader race within 48 hours.
  • (20) So, when browsing, an open mind is far more effective than knowing exactly what you want – eBay works topically, so avoid anything worn by Kate Middleton and all high-street capsule collections, eg last week's Versace line for H&M, which wily types bought en masse and are currently reselling at marked-up prices.