underhandedness

noun

Definition of underhandednessnext
as in treachery

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of underhandedness Frustrated but persistent, about seven hundred of the twelve hundred agents that participated in the board collaborated in what was essentially a cybersecurity version of capture the flag, a war game in which underhandedness is rewarded. — Jill Lepore, New Yorker, 21 Sep. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for underhandedness
  1. treachery
  2. deviousness
  3. sneakiness
  4. shrewdness
  5. slyness
  6. subterfuge
  7. chicanery
  8. skulduggery
Noun
  • The killings and his six-week trial in 2023 captivated the true crime world with a mix of treachery, corruption, money, power and Southern accents.
    — Jeffrey Collins, Los Angeles Times, 16 Oct. 2026
  • The killings of Murdaugh’s wife and son and his subsequent six-week trial captivated the true crime world with a mix of treachery, corruption, money, power and Southern accents.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of treachery
Noun
  • Focus on either your high level of integrity or your deviousness.
    — Alice Burton, Vulture, 25 Sep. 2026
  • The piece urges critical inquiry into such claims, emphasizing that human oversight, not AI's inherent deviousness, can be a sizable contributor.
    — Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 5 Aug. 2026
Definition of deviousness
Noun
  • In The Executioners, and the 1962 and 1991 film adaptations of that novel, Cady is a predator specifically of women — even more specifically, young women — and he’s known for this, more so than his sneakiness, cleverness, or time served.
    — Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 26 June 2026
Definition of sneakiness
Noun
  • Spain’s shrewdness came in their refusal to engage with off-the-ball trivialities.
    — Adam Crafton, New York Times, 20 July 2026
  • Instead, Franklin will rise by virtue of hard work and (actual) shrewdness.
    — John Swansburg, The Atlantic, 15 June 2026
Definition of shrewdness
Noun
  • The harp is not an instrument of slyness, wryness, or the earth.
    — Emma Madden, Pitchfork, 28 Apr. 2026
  • Like the tricksters of myth, there’s depth to their slyness.
    — Big Think, Big Think, 5 Feb. 2026
Definition of slyness
Noun
  • The series unpacks the subterfuge and secrecy required to record the interviews and how Diana and Colthurst were on high alert while making the recordings, Barefield explained.
    — Stewart Clarke, Deadline, 7 Oct. 2026
  • This subterfuge makes sense, since what these people reveal implicates their superiors.
    — Siddhant Adlakha, IndieWire, 10 Sep. 2026
Definition of subterfuge
Noun
  • This is accomplished with the aid of a dead vagrant, a false identity, a commandeered submarine, and tons of other chicanery.
    — K. Thor Jensen, PC Magazine, 25 Sep. 2026
  • Some felt that Ballmer was too smart to be involved in this sort of chicanery.
    — Louisa Thomas, New Yorker, 6 Sep. 2026
Definition of chicanery
Noun
  • International skullduggery in this case concerned the retrieving of two nuclear warheads from a treacherous Caribbean dictatorship.
    — Ed Olmstead, HollywoodReporter, 17 Sep. 2026
  • There are no federal protections against this skullduggery, and only 10 states have enacted dedicated statutes to combat the problem, according to Equity Protect.
    — Lew Sichelman, Miami Herald, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of skulduggery

Browse Nearby Words

underhandedly
underhandedness
underlain
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Cite this Entry

“Underhandedness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/underhandedness. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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