Synonyms of exploiting

exploiting

verb

present participle of exploit

1

as in using

to take unfair advantage of

the type of person who exploits a friend's good nature by constantly sponging off of him

Synonyms & Similar Words

• using
• abusing
• leveraging
• manipulating
• milking
• playing (on or upon)
• imposing (on or upon)
• pimping
• capitalizing (on)
• walking on
• working
• cheating
• trading on
• cashing in (on)
• mistreating
• overcharging
• commercializing
• sticking
• fleecing
• bleeding
• soaking
• skinning
• commodifying
• jerking around

2

as in manipulating

to control or take advantage of by artful, unfair, or insidious means

a politician more than willing to exploit any national tragedy for political gain

Synonyms & Similar Words

• manipulating
• playing (upon)
• deceiving
• maneuvering
• tricking
• duping
• plotting
• jockeying
• engineering
• fooling
• devising
• deluding
• scheming
• hoodwinking
• defrauding
• bluffing
• swindling
• intriguing
• kidding
• masterminding
• gulling
• fleecing
• conning
• hoaxing
• arranging
• finagling
• contriving
• chiseling
• taking in
• cozening
• beguiling
• finessing
• snowing
• cheating
• shanghaiing
• machinating
• hustling

3

as in utilizing

to put into action or service

it will be a shame if you don't exploit your artistic talent to the fullest

Synonyms & Similar Words

• using
• utilizing
• applying
• employing
• harnessing
• operating
• exercising
• manipulating
• drawing on
• making use of
• handling
• wielding
• bringing to bear
• working
• directing
• running
• recycling
• reusing
• cannibalizing

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• ignoring
• neglecting
• misusing
• misapplying

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of exploiting

Disgusted that any adult would ever consider exploiting a child in such a vile and predatory way. — Bryan Lynn, CBS News, 6 Aug. 2026

In OpenAI's case, the model broke out of its testing environment by exploiting a previously unknown vulnerability to complete a task it was assigned. — Kai Nicol-Schwarz, CNBC, 5 Aug. 2026

While many of the vulnerabilities must be exploited following authentication, that condition generally can be met by exploiting a smaller number of pre-authentication vulnerabilities Moore has identified. — Dan Goodin, ArsTechnica, 5 Aug. 2026

Initially, Dubai Cares also accused Jafri of unlawfully seizing the painting and exploiting the charity, but a judge dismissed those claims. — Devorah Lauter, ARTnews.com, 3 Aug. 2026

The Dutch outlet Wielerflits reported receiving several complaints from women's WorldTeams about female cyclists exploiting their breast size in time trials by faking a larger cup size using padding in their bras. — Sean Joseph Outkick, FOXNews.com, 3 Aug. 2026

That presents opportunities for what are known as high-frequency traders, who specialize in buying and selling within milliseconds, exploiting tiny, fleeting difference in prices. — Arkansas Online, 2 Aug. 2026

The agency warns that hackers have been exploiting programmable logic controllers (PLCs), or specialized computers used to control industrial systems, specifically the MicroLogix 1100 and 1400 series from Rockwell Automation/Allen-Bradley. — Michael Kan, PC Magazine, 31 July 2026

Most real-world cybercrime still relies on easier and cheaper methods, such as exploiting software vulnerabilities, stealing credentials, phishing, malware and ransomware. — Chetan Jaiswal, The Conversation, 30 July 2026