manipulative

adjective

ma·​nip·​u·​la·​tive mə-ˈni-pyə-ˌlā-tiv 

-lə-

: of, relating to, or performed by manipulation

Osteopathy emphasizes manipulative techniques to correct abnormalities thought to cause disease and inhibit recovery.

—Carol L. Otis et al.

especially : serving or intended to control or influence others in a deceptive and often unfair or selfish way

a clever and manipulative child

manipulative behavior

Simpleminded as his critics found his ideas and remarks, cynical and manipulative as he may have been in actuality, he seemed to believe every word he said.

—Arthur Miller

manipulatively adverb

manipulativeness noun

Examples of manipulative in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

When a mysterious beast washes ashore, the villagers abandon him, and he is left with only a manipulative outcast by his side. —Liz Shackleton, Deadline, 17 Mar. 2026

This epidemic of often-manipulative messaging is also, in some ways, shrinking the candidates themselves. —David Weigel, semafor.com, 16 Mar. 2026

But the reason my face remained (largely) dry was not that certain movies are more shamelessly manipulative than others — all art is a little manipulative, by degrees. —Christopher Borrelli, Chicago Tribune, 12 Mar. 2026

Akerman, who stars alongside Brittany Snow as manipulative socialite Margo Banks in the Netflix series adaptation of The Hunting Wives from Lionsgate, will receive the Impact Award at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Toronto. —Etan Vlessing, HollywoodReporter, 12 Mar. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1834, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for manipulative

• accommodative
• accumulative
• adjudicative
• administrative
• agglutinative
• ameliorative
• appreciative
• assimilative
• associative
• authoritative
• collaborative
• cooperative