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 an artful 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

In Bachelorette season 11, Nick crashed the party and once again rubbed the other men (and many viewers) the wrong way in pursuit of Bristowe, whose ultimate pick, Shawn Booth, called him cocky and manipulative to his face. —Laura Bradley, Vulture, 13 Aug. 2025

Serge, Marc, and Yvan are psychologically and spiritually stunted: fragile, insecure, desperate, manipulative; each character performs moral superiority while privately unraveling. —Adrienne Miller, Vogue, 7 Aug. 2025

Letscher’s more-than-endearing script runs the entire gamut of emotions without ever feeling manipulative or treacly, and pulls it all off in less than 90 minutes – an incredible feat. —Duante Beddingfield, Freep.com, 30 July 2025

While the crimes vary widely, Cynthia Miller-Idriss says there is consistency in the manipulative tactics used by bad actors within these networks. —Odette Yousef, NPR, 6 Aug. 2025

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