Sneaky People: 20 Subtle Signs & What Defines Sneaky Behavior in Someone (2024)

Been burned in the past? Do yourself a favor and learn how to spot these signs of sneaky people so you can move forward without regrets.

Life usually throws you a couple of tough curveballs, but those situations teach you how to know if someone is trustworthy or not. From there, you learn can the signs of sneaky people so that you know what to avoid.

Until you go through a few heartbreaks, you may not be able to spot these signs until it’s too late. Thankfully, this feature should help you learn how to pinpoint the signs of sneaky people so that you can protect yourself.

You will be able to see through a sneaky person’s persona and discover the true colors that they’ve been hiding.

Knowing the signs of sneaky people can save you a lot of time and energy because they teach you how to avoid being used by them. Whether they’re strangers, friends, or your date, learn what it means when something inside you hints that something is off.

Of course, you should follow your gut instinct if you feel that this person isn’t good for you, but you should also be aware of the signs because they are there. You just need to start looking for them. [Read: How to follow your gut instinct when you need it most]

What are sneaky people?

A sneaky person is sly, dishonest, and can even be devious or mean. Instead of being honest or forthcoming, they do things in secret. They have tons of reasons for this behavior, too.

Whether they want to know more about you, hide something about themselves, or control a situation, they are manipulative. Sneaky people play games to get what they want instead of just asking for it.

A sneaky person can be deceptive about a load of things, but the thing that makes them truly sneaky is their dishonest behavior. They are actively shady, and that’s never a good sign.

The only people who should have these qualities are spies, and we doubt that you’re dating a spy. It isn’t that common of a day job, to be honest.

If you spot these signs of sneaky people, you should avoid them at all costs. [Read: Why you should run if you see these early red flags]

Signs of sneaky people

Looking for the signs of sneaky people can be difficult. They are always there, but they can be hard to catch.

The whole problem with sneaky people is that they are good at hiding these signs, so you have to pay a little more attention.

1. Intense eye contact

Have you ever met someone who never breaks eye contact? It’s creepy! Sneaky people have a habit of staring intensely into other people’s eyes, never breaking eye contact.

This is a way that sneaky people have of subtly controlling you. Giving a little too much eye contact should be a red flag for you. [Read: How to stop manipulative people]

2. They open up very quickly.

One sign of sneaky people is that they provide too much information all at once. When you first meet them, they’re like an open book. They’ve already told you their darkest secrets, but it’s only been five minutes.

This may seem honest and genuine, but it’s only to throw you off their scent. By opening up, they gain your trust. This is a huge warning sign of a sneaky person who’s trying to get you to open up so that they can see what they can get from you. [Read: What is love bombing? How to spot it early on]

3. Massive mood swings

When things don’t go their way, sneaky people get upset very quickly. Their mood swings happen with a snap, leaving you unsure of what happened. One moment they’re sweet, but they’re angry the next. You just can’t keep track.

This intense bouncing of emotions isn’t just something they can’t control. They use it to control you. When someone has an emotional outburst, the surrounding people feel uncomfortable. That feeling makes you vulnerable to the sneaky person.

4. No boundaries

For them, boundaries are for the weak. You’ve made your boundaries clear, yet they still try to push the limits. They break your rules and try to see what they can get away with.

You’ve expressed how you feel about it, but they ignore you every single time. They may even fake an apology, only to repeat their intrusiveness once again.

5. There’s no empathy

Healthy people can understand other human beings and look at situations from different perspectives. One of the signs of sneaky people is that they don’t have any empathy. If the person you’re talking to doesn’t have empathy, run. [Read: How to tell if someone doesn’t have empathy and what you need to do]

6. They know a little too much about you

You just met, yet they seem to know much more about you than they should. Why? Aside from being creepy, they needed to ensure that they had enough information on you to direct the situation. If they didn’t, they would have walked into the situation blind, which they can’t handle.

They will look you up and gain your trust so that they can use your weaknesses against you to get what they want.

7. They rule the conversation

You may talk during the conversation, but they make sure they control what you talk about. They can’t let a conversation go uncontrolled. That’s not their style. Sneaky people must be in control of the conversation at all times.

8. They move fast

You went on one date, and they already want to make the relationship exclusive. It’s a little fast, right? They’re trying to create a sense of false trust. Another example of this is love bombing. They overwhelm you with good feelings so that you trust them, only to gain power over how you feel.

Sneaky people will speed up the natural progression of a relationship so that you give in to them. Once they’ve achieved that, they can more easily manipulate you or mistreat you because you’ll believe that they are capable of good behavior, too.

9. They’re disconnected

When you talk to a sneaky person, it doesn’t really feel like they’re there. It’s almost as if they’re a little dead in the eyes. This is common in narcissists and sociopaths. They’re not really listening to you. They’re plotting.Everything you say is something they can use against you, and everything they say is said to control you. [Read: How to tell if you’ve fallen for a narcissist]

10. They turn people against each other

Sneaky people have motives. Do you think they’re friends with you because they like you? They have a reason why they spend time with you. They create drama and conflict between people. It allows them to break up relationships and take control of the situation.

They may even cause issues at school or work. They like starting drama just to know that they can manipulate people’s thoughts and behaviors, even if they don’t gain anything else from it.

11. They tell you how you should feel

Sneaky people will make sure that they can control the people around them. They do this by telling you how you should feel instead of letting you come up with your own decisions. Not only is this disrespecting your boundaries, but it’s also manipulation.

12. They’re narcissistic

If there’s one thing untrustworthy people can’t handle, it’s criticism. These people usually have more narcissistic qualities, which means that they cannot handle it when people criticize them. They see it as an attack on their worth. This is why whatever they do is never wrong. [Read: How to tell if someone wants to hurt you because they just don’t care]

13. Everything is black and white

When they interact with people, they think in black and white. Sneaky people will often use words like always and never.

For them, someone is either a good person or a bad person. There’s no middle ground, so they’ll either love you or hate you. Whatever happens in between isn’t their problem.

14. They never apologize

The last thing that they’re going to do is take responsibility for their actions. They may offer a fake apology to get you to trust them or see them as a good person, but it will never be sincere.

Sneaky people aren’t interested in acknowledging what they’ve done wrong. They do wrong and get away with it by blaming other people.[Read:The traits of toxic people that can hurt you]

15. No is not an option

Since they don’t respect your boundaries, you can assume that they won’t let you say no and get away with it.

When you say no, they pressure you to change your mind or manipulate you. They won’t usually come out and blackmail or threaten you, but they will make you second-guess yourself. If you continue to say no, they don’t back down until they get what they want.

16. They’re manipulative

A lot of the signs of sneaky people are manipulative. Manipulation can come in so many forms. If they try to alter how you think or feel or what you do, they’re manipulating you.

They won’t twist your arm in the most obvious way. A sneaky person is subtle about how they control and manipulate others. [Read: 16 signs of psychological manipulation]

17. They don’t trust you

A sneaky person will turn mistrust around on you any chance they get. They will accuse you of lying, cheating, or being generally off. They do this to distract you from the sneaky things they’ve done.

A sneaky person will make you question yourself and every situation. When someone doesn’t trust you, sometimes it’s a sign that you shouldn’t trust them.

18. Judging everyone

Sneaking people are very judgmental. They will say nice things to your face and judge others openly. This is another way that they control you.

If you hear them say mean things about others, you’ll behave a certain way around them to prevent them from doing that to you. [Read: Ways to deal with judgmental people]

19. No guilt

Not all sneaky people are truly cold-hearted, but many just don’t feel any guilt. It isn’t only that they’re selfish, but they don’t feel guilty when they wrong someone, control them, or even hurt them. They may lash out if they are accused of bad behavior but will never actually feel bad.

20. Gaslighting

Gaslighting is a major form of manipulation and is so unbelievably common for sneaky people. It’s so subtle that most people don’t even recognize that it’s being done. When someone ignores how you’re feeling or what you’re saying, they are gaslighting you.

They’re convincing you that how you’re feeling is wrong. It’s an emotional game that’s truly cruel and can become an unhealthy pattern.

[Read: How to say no and stop pleasing others and feel awesome instead]

You’re going to encounter a sneaky person at some point in your life, probably even a few. The important thing is to know the signs of sneaky people and identify them right away. If you can do that, you won’t get played.