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
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
Spotify, the industry’s behemoth, claims that its fraud detection programs caught Smith’s alleged chicanery.
—Kate Knibbs, Wired News, 20 May 2025
Given the lawfare that tracks the uncertainty of our moral foundation, Henry Johnson is more pertinent than Oleanna, Mamet’s prophesy of the chicanery in the Me Too movement.
—Armond White, National Review, 14 May 2025
DeBoer seemed less concerned about all the chicanery.
—Mark Lazerus, New York Times, 22 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for chicanery
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 2 June 2025
Spotify, the industry’s behemoth, claims that its fraud detection programs caught Smith’s alleged chicanery.
—Kate Knibbs, Wired News, 20 May 2025
Given the lawfare that tracks the uncertainty of our moral foundation, Henry Johnson is more pertinent than Oleanna, Mamet’s prophesy of the chicanery in the Me Too movement.
—Armond White, National Review, 14 May 2025
DeBoer seemed less concerned about all the chicanery.
—Mark Lazerus, New York Times, 22 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for chicanery
Recent Examples of Synonyms for chicanery
Noun
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In a chilling case of deception and domestic violence, what appeared to be months of stalking by an ex-boyfriend turned out to be an elaborate scheme orchestrated by a Colorado woman's own husband, culminating in her murder just days before Christmas.—
Doc Louallen,
ABC News,
26 Sep. 2025
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Methods include propaganda, deception, sabotage and other non-military tactics, the alliance says.—
Sophie Tanno,
CNN Money,
25 Sep. 2025
Noun
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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
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When does compromise become treachery or defeat?—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
3 Sep. 2025
Noun
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The act of subterfuge was particularly common in the 2000s, amidst America’s unpopular foreign policy and the country’s invasion of Afghanistan and Iraq.—
Vivian Song,
CNN Money,
18 Sep. 2025
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The trial was a kangaroo circus packed with sophism, subterfuge, and courtroom chicanery.—
Manuel Muñoz,
Literary Hub,
11 Sep. 2025
Noun
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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
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The American people are seeking solace and inspiration from its leaders, not pettiness and skullduggery.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
10 Aug. 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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The Sooners won 24-17 over the Tigers, thanks in part to trickery on an Isaiah Sategna III wide-open touchdown.—
Scott Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
21 Sep. 2025
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Corona del Mar used some trickery to take the lead on the ensuing possession.—
Michael Huntley,
Oc Register,
13 Sep. 2025
Noun
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But Herrero, of the Cuba Study Group, argued that this kind of rhetoric is better understood as electoral gamesmanship.—
Jon Lee Anderson,
New Yorker,
29 Sep. 2025
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Anyone who doubts his resolve and dedication - especially when Charlie was such a close friend to him- simply is using this extremely sad moment in a disgusting act of political gamesmanship.—
Jordan King,
MSNBC Newsweek,
16 Sep. 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 7 Oct. 2025.
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