weaselly
Shifty and underhanded
Weaselly describes behavior that is evasive, sneaky, or dishonestly indirect—like a weasel slipping through narrow spaces to avoid capture.
A weaselly answer dodges the question.
A weaselly person avoids commitment or responsibility through slippery maneuvers: His weaselly excuses fooled no one.
The word carries strong contempt for cowardly dishonesty.
Lacking friction, hard-to-grasp
- dodgyQuestionable in character
- evasiveAvoiding direct response
- equivocalUncertain in meaning
- noncommittalNot expressing clear opinion
vague · indirect · oblique · circumlocutory · prevaricating · hedging · ambiguous · elusive
Cleverly deceptive
- cunningSly, scheming cleverness
- craftyCleverly deceptive
- underhandedSecretly dishonest or unfair
- furtiveSecretive and sly
stealthy · covert · scheming · conniving · devious · secretive · clandestine · surreptitious
Seeming dishonest or evasive
- unreliableNot consistently performing
- dubiousOf uncertain reliability
- suspectBelieve to be likely
- questionableOf uncertain validity
slick · oily · unctuous · smarmy · sleazy · unscrupulous · unprincipled · crooked
Inclined to deceive
- duplicitousDeliberately deceptive in nature
- deceptiveCreating false impressions
- falseNot matching reality
- fraudulentInvolving intentional dishonesty
misleading · insincere · disingenuous · two-faced · phony · untruthful · lying · mendacious
Lacking courage or resolve
- gutlessLacking bravery or nerve
- yellowHue between green and orange
- cravenContemptibly lacking nerve
- timidLacking courage or confidence
weak · sniveling · lily-livered · chicken · pusillanimous · fainthearted · yellow-bellied · wimpy
slippery
Lacking friction, hard-to-grasp
noncommittal · vague · indirect · oblique · circumlocutory · prevaricating · hedging · ambiguous · elusive · cagey
sly
Cleverly deceptive
- cunningSly, scheming cleverness
- craftyCleverly deceptive
- underhandedSecretly dishonest or unfair
furtive · stealthy · covert · scheming · conniving · devious · secretive · clandestine · surreptitious · skulking
shifty
Seeming dishonest or evasive
- unreliableNot consistently performing
- dubiousOf uncertain reliability
- suspectBelieve to be likely
questionable · slick · oily · unctuous · smarmy · sleazy · unscrupulous · unprincipled · crooked · corrupt
dishonest
Inclined to deceive
- duplicitousDeliberately deceptive in nature
- deceptiveCreating false impressions
- falseNot matching reality
fraudulent · misleading · insincere · disingenuous · two-faced · phony · untruthful · lying · mendacious · perfidious
spineless
Lacking courage or resolve
timid · weak · sniveling · lily-livered · chicken · pusillanimous · fainthearted · yellow-bellied · wimpy · meek
weasellyforthright
Directly honest in manner
straightforward · direct · honest · candid · frank
weasellyhonorable
Having high moral standards
upstanding · principled · trustworthy · noble · ethical
weasellysteadfast
Firmly loyal, unshakeable
dependable · reliable · stalwart · rock-solid · true to one's word
- weasel outEvade through cunning
- weasel wordsDeliberately vague qualifiers
- weasel wordingDeceptively imprecise language
- weasel clauseDeliberately vague contract language
- weasel familyCarnivorous mammals including badgers
- weasel wordedDeceptively noncommittal phrasing