What a Sly Smile Is, How to Make One, & Funny Sly Smile Memes

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Plus, learn the difference between a sly smile & a smirk

Co-authored by Elaine Heredia, BA

Last Updated: January 29, 2025 Fact Checked

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• What a Sly Smile Means
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• How to Smile Slyly
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• When to Smile Slyly
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• Smirk vs Sly Smile
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• Popular Sly Smile Memes

|Show more |Show less

If you've never seen a "sly smile" before, you may have trouble imagining what it looks like, what it means, or when it's appropriate for you to grin this way. Not to worry! This comprehensive guide to will bring the inside scoop on smiling slyly, so you know exactly how to do it yourself and what other people who do it are probably thinking. We'll also explain the difference between a sly smile and a smirk (no, they're not the same!) and share popular sly smile memes you may have seen on social media and in your messages.

Sly Smile Meaning

When someone wears a sly smile, they may know something you don't and are purposely concealing it from you. It may also amuse them that you don't have their inside knowledge. While smiling slyly, they may slightly lift one or both corners of their mouth. They may also lower their eyelids to slits and arch their eyebrows.

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Section 1 of 5:

What does a sly smile mean?

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1. 
   Someone who wears a sly smile may be concealing a secret. The definition of the word "sly" is "displaying cleverness," but an alternate meaning is, "clever in concealing one's aims or ends." A person who smiles "slyly" typically does so because they know secret information or have a clandestine plan that others don't know about. They also feel smart for having this insider knowledge.

   • You may see someone smile slyly for these (or similar) reasons:
     • When they're thinking about a pleasant surprise they're planning to spring on someone.
     • When they're reflecting gleefully on a prank they pulled that no one has discovered yet.
     • When they're ruminating on a secret someone told them that they find amusing.
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Section 2 of 5:

How to Smile Slyly

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1. 
   Slightly raise one or both corners of your mouth and lower your eyelids to slits. You can also try raising one or both eyebrows. If you're looking at someone directly, you can wiggle your eyebrows at them to emphasize you have a secret. But you also don't have to look at anyone in particular; many people who grin this way aren't directing their humor at a specific individual. The goal is simply to appear knowing and self-satisfied, no matter who's observing your expression.

Section 3 of 5:

When should you wear a sly smile?

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1. 
   Wear a sly smile when you want others to know you have a fun secret. Part of the satisfaction of smiling slyly comes from sparking people's interest in what you know. For that reason, the secret should be something positive and lighthearted that you can either reveal yourself or hint that the revelation is coming soon.

   • For example, if you're planning on throwing your best friend a surprise birthday party, you may smile slyly whenever you hear them mention that special day to other people or when their other friends ask them how they're going to celebrate.
   • If you can't share your information or the secret isn't fun (i.e., it's something sad or personal about someone else, like gossip), you may want to avoid smiling slyly. Otherwise, if anyone finds out what you know, they may think you're insensitive for enjoying having such unpleasant knowledge.
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Section 4 of 5:

Is a smirk the same thing as a sly smile?

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1. 
   A smirk is a smile you wear when you feel smug or scornful. You might smirk when you realize you've won an argument, or to express your bitter pleasure when something bad happens to someone else. It's also different from a sly smile because when you smirk, you don't necessarily have any secrets or inside information you're keeping from other people (you can, though; the main requirement of a smirk is the smugness or scorn behind it).

   • In a smirk, you typically raise only one corner of your mouth to smile and may also lower your eyelids just slightly. You may also huff air out of your nose in a snort.
   • Situations where you might feel compelled to smirk include the following:
     • When you hear about your high school bully getting bullied back.
     • When your friend who's really good at video games finally loses.
     • When you're bantering with someone else and are about to deliver a clever comeback.

Section 5 of 5:

Popular Sly Smile Memes

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1. 
   1
   Evil Girl Smile You may recognize the Evil Girl Smile meme as a popular GIF to send to friends when you're feeling sly and clever. It features a little girl in a red coat with white trim smiling at the camera. If you watch the commercial the meme originates from, you'll learn that the girl smiles after she sees a random couple getting married in the park and decides to pretend she's the groom's long-lost daughter.

   • The commercial was advertising the 2011 Young Director Awards, a program dedicated to platforming young filmmakers.
2. 
   2
   Savage Grinch Smile Anyone who's seen the 1966 cartoon Christmas special, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, knows where this sly smile meme comes from. It occurs when the Grinch gets "a wonderful, awful idea" to impersonate Santa Claus and steal the Whos' Christmas.

   • While you may not be able to smile quite as savagely as the Grinch (or curl the tips of your hair the way he does), you can still feel inspired by his sly, creepy grin.
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   Creepy Toddlers & Tiaras Smile You've probably seen the Creepy Girl Smile meme, but did you know that the girl was a star on TLC's Toddlers & Tiaras? The hit reality show focused on girls under 13 and their families as they entered and competed in child beauty pageants. The girl in the meme, Kailia Posey, was a recurring star, and now she's immortalized forever for the episode where she flashed her iconic teeth-baring smile.
4. 
   4
   Sneaky Spongebob Smile Millennials may recognize this silly meme from Spongebob Squarepants when the episode where it appeared aired in 2001. In "Just One Bite," Spongebob spots Squidward – who doesn't like Krabby Patties – making off with one of the signature burgers. In response, Spongebob squints his eyes, smiles, bites his lower lip, and says, "You like Krabby Patties, don't you, Squidward?"

   • The expression on Spongebob's face in this scene is now one of the most beloved memes from the show over 20 years later.
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