as in deception
the use of clever underhanded actions to achieve an end
that candidate only won the election through chicanery
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Recent Examples of chicanery
The trial was a kangaroo circus packed with sophism, subterfuge, and courtroom chicanery.
—
Manuel Muñoz, Literary Hub, 11 Sep. 2025
Those concerns were laid bare in the discovery process for the defamation case that Dominion Voting Systems took against Fox over false suggestions of fraud and other chicanery aired by guests on the network.
—Niall Stanage, The Hill, 19 July 2025
Despite the chicanery, this is a solid deal for a phone that isn’t wildly different from the Pixel 9.
—Janhoi McGregor, Forbes.com, 7 June 2025
One is inclined to ask how much chicanery, deceit, deception and outright lying one must absorb before ending one’s allegiance to that party.
—Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 2 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for chicanery
Manuel Muñoz, Literary Hub, 11 Sep. 2025
Those concerns were laid bare in the discovery process for the defamation case that Dominion Voting Systems took against Fox over false suggestions of fraud and other chicanery aired by guests on the network.
—Niall Stanage, The Hill, 19 July 2025
Despite the chicanery, this is a solid deal for a phone that isn’t wildly different from the Pixel 9.
—Janhoi McGregor, Forbes.com, 7 June 2025
One is inclined to ask how much chicanery, deceit, deception and outright lying one must absorb before ending one’s allegiance to that party.
—Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 2 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for chicanery
Recent Examples of Synonyms for chicanery
Noun
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Always one step ahead of the police, Fantomas is a master of deception and chaos.—
Melanie Goodfellow,
Deadline,
4 Nov. 2025
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The three-part docuseries that premiered this week chronicles how Rasmussen discovered Johnson’s deceptions and finally left him, only to be harassed by her ex after their divorce.—
Addie Morfoot,
Variety,
31 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Tarabay leads the cast as the titular Ashur, now thriving after his treachery.—
Randall Colburn,
Entertainment Weekly,
3 Nov. 2025
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And when the surviving crew interrogates the android Ash about his treachery, the book has him pretty much spill the space beans.—
Daniel Dockery,
Vulture,
22 Sep. 2025
Noun
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The story then unfolded through the subterfuge of the princess and the care of Morton.—
Simon Perry,
PEOPLE,
28 Oct. 2025
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Unlike the confrontational drudgery of couples therapy — and aiming to avoid the confrontational finality of divorce — this approach relies on subterfuge.—
Sheri Linden,
HollywoodReporter,
23 Oct. 2025
Noun
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The other one is the idea of political skullduggery going on in the background.—
Rick Porter,
HollywoodReporter,
29 Oct. 2025
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And though O’Neil, who has been inside, says the building itself is in no shape for skullduggery, that doesn’t mean said skullduggery isn’t happening elsewhere.—
A.K. Whitney,
Oc Register,
9 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Watching the song’s polarizing music video, which uses digital trickery to reunite the surviving Beatles with their late mates, projected behind McCartney and his band on a massive screen is trippy, and hard for the brain to comprehend.—
Joseph Hudak,
Rolling Stone,
7 Nov. 2025
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But there’s no trickery in those matches — the big ones are pay-per-view promoted events.—
Jeremy Herb,
CNN Money,
6 Nov. 2025
Noun
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Of course, the retort is that this would be irritating and exasperating to be continually deluged with alerts about AI deceptiveness.—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes.com,
24 Aug. 2025
Noun
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On the pitch — and across the breadth of the league — matches have been defined by long throws, set pieces and gamesmanship.—
Jacob Whitehead,
New York Times,
10 Nov. 2025
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Advertisement Republicans, especially outside the MAGAverse, have found mixed views of this gamesmanship.—
Philip Elliott,
Time,
28 Oct. 2025
Noun
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There is a real seriousness to the score — the scheming bad-guy music has the artfulness of Prokofiev, and even the sneaking-around cues have musical integrity and structure.—
Tim Greiving,
Vulture,
3 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Chicanery.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/chicanery. Accessed 12 Nov. 2025.
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