Definitions
- Describing someone who is evasive or untrustworthy. - Referring to someone who avoids eye contact or seems nervous. - Talking about a person who behaves in a suspicious or deceitful manner.
- Describing someone who is cunning or crafty. - Referring to someone who is sneaky or manipulative. - Talking about a person who is clever in a deceptive or underhanded way.
List of Similarities
- 1Both words describe someone who is not straightforward or honest.
- 2Both words suggest a sense of suspicion or distrust.
- 3Both words can be used to describe negative behavior or character traits.
What is the difference?
- 1Attitude: Shifty implies nervousness or discomfort, while sly suggests a more calculated and deliberate behavior.
- 2Deception: Shifty implies an attempt to hide something, while sly suggests a more active attempt to deceive or manipulate.
- 3Appearance: Shifty often refers to physical appearance, while sly can refer to both physical appearance and behavior.
- 4Connotation: Shifty has a more negative connotation, while sly can have both positive and negative connotations depending on the context.
- 5Usage: Shifty is more commonly used to describe physical appearance, while sly is more commonly used to describe behavior or character traits.
Remember this!
Shifty and sly are synonyms that describe someone who is not straightforward or honest. However, the difference between shifty and sly is their attitude, deception, appearance, connotation, and usage. Shifty implies nervousness or discomfort and an attempt to hide something, while sly suggests a more calculated and deliberate behavior with an active attempt to deceive or manipulate. Shifty often refers to physical appearance, while sly can refer to both physical appearance and behavior. Shifty has a more negative connotation, while sly can have both positive and negative connotations depending on the context.
