crooked 1 of 2

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as in dishonest
marked by, based on, or done by the use of dishonest methods to acquire something of value a crooked scheme to bill the government for medical services never performed

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

crooked

2 of 2

verb

past tense of crook

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 crooked
Adjective
In the videos shared to Instagram, the man claiming to be Massey denied threatening Williams while also accusing prison officials of being crooked and racist. Sean Neumann, People.com, 3 June 2025 At first glance, these pieces seem to appear odd, with crooked teeth and protruding eyeballs. Heide Janssen, Oc Register, 20 Apr. 2025 Throughout the film, newspaper headlines and snippets of TV contextualize the story against the backdrop of anti-Vietnam demonstrations, colleges retaliating to student campus protests and aggressive policing, along with glimpses of Richard Nixon’s crooked grin. David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 23 May 2025 The moon's insides are crooked thanks to the near side being some 306 degrees Fahrenheit hotter at depth than its counterpart on the lunar far side. Ian Randall, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for crooked
Recent Examples of Synonyms for crooked
Adjective
  • Execution: With these tools in place, fraudsters can open fraudulent accounts, apply for loans and carry out high-value transactions, all while appearing completely legitimate.
    Parya Lotfi, Forbes.com, 23 June 2025
  • This includes Amazon allowing small businesses to make multiple appeals when fighting a fraudulent return.
    Katie Tarasov, CNBC, 21 June 2025
Adjective
  • Avoid generic, spammy tactics, over-automation or dishonest ploys.
    Samuel Darwin, Forbes.com, 24 June 2025
  • The reasons for such concerns start with the shockingly dishonest campaign for Proposition 1A, the 2008 state ballot measure allocating $9.95 billion in bond seed money for a network of bullet trains linking Los Angeles and San Francisco.
    U T Editorial Board, San Diego Union-Tribune, 20 June 2025
Adjective
  • Like Squid Game, Dead Set juxtaposes familiar cultural symbols and settings with grim, inevitable explosions of blood, straddling the line between twisted, compelling drama and a sobering reminder of violence lurking in our present society.
    Rory Doherty, Time, 27 June 2025
  • Yet, even amid this dark and twisted final scene, creator Hwang has offered a path forward.
    Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 27 June 2025
Adjective
  • In the suit, filed Friday, Newsom says that Fox News had used deceptive edits to claim that the governor had lied in saying that Trump had not called him about deploying National Guard troops during the L.A. protests.
    Caitlin Huston, HollywoodReporter, 27 June 2025
  • Florida is leading the way in what can become a national movement to crack down on hospitals’ deceptive and unfair billing practices.
    Cynthia A. Fisher, Sun Sentinel, 26 June 2025
Adjective
  • Additionally, although each member of the crew has their own particular skillset, the time spent on individual characters is uneven, and a smaller cast would have likely made things more effective.
    Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 25 June 2025
  • Moreover, the legal playing field itself can be quite uneven.
    Mark Berookim, Forbes.com, 24 June 2025
Adjective
  • But an investigation resulted in an astonishing call from the other side of the world, which revealed that ‘The GPO Girl’ was, in fact, a 25-year-old Australian, who has created more than 100 false identities.
    Max Goldbart, Deadline, 24 June 2025
  • This was a false charge by the Bush administration, as the United Nations’ inspectors on the ground in Iraq tried to communicate to Bush, and as his intelligence agencies tried to tell him.
    Tom Zirpoli, Baltimore Sun, 24 June 2025
Verb
  • With a history dating back to 1774, this iconic, travel-friendly footwear brand has been keeping shoppers hooked for centuries.
    Rosie Marder, Travel + Leisure, 14 Mar. 2025
  • And yet, the viewer is hooked, invested in seeing what happens to Jamie after he is arrested.
    Olivia B. Waxman, TIME, 13 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • During his speech, Kissel made winding references to railroads, attorneys’ fees, scratch-off tickets, casinos, Hartford, car fatalities, troopers, eye-hand coordination, Jack LaLanne, Methuselah, the Bible, and hallucinogenic mushrooms.
    Christopher Keating, Hartford Courant, 31 May 2025
  • One way that’s easy to manifest is through maximalist bedding with punchy colors, big stripes, and winding patterns.
    Julia Harrison, Architectural Digest, 25 May 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Crooked.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/crooked. Accessed 8 Jul. 2025.

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