as in deception
the use of clever underhanded actions to achieve an end
that author doesn't go in for literary gamesmanship, so the reader is never led astray by the novel's narrator
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of gamesmanship
Voters will get a chance to reject anti-democratic gamesmanship in an April referendum.
—
Editorial Board, Washington Post, 7 Feb. 2026
Much like the character that brought him instant fame, Waltz loves the gamesmanship that comes with a villainous turn.
—William Earl, Variety, 6 Feb. 2026
Coach Paul Maurice might have even engaged in a little gamesmanship, telling reporters in the morning that Marchand would remain out, only for Marchand to be in the lineup.
—Steve Conroy, Boston Herald, 5 Feb. 2026
Dickinson came close, but was unfortunately outdone by dastardly Internet gamesmanship.
—Frederick Dreier, Outside, 30 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for gamesmanship
Editorial Board, Washington Post, 7 Feb. 2026
Much like the character that brought him instant fame, Waltz loves the gamesmanship that comes with a villainous turn.
—William Earl, Variety, 6 Feb. 2026
Coach Paul Maurice might have even engaged in a little gamesmanship, telling reporters in the morning that Marchand would remain out, only for Marchand to be in the lineup.
—Steve Conroy, Boston Herald, 5 Feb. 2026
Dickinson came close, but was unfortunately outdone by dastardly Internet gamesmanship.
—Frederick Dreier, Outside, 30 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for gamesmanship
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gamesmanship
Noun
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To Elliott, these seemingly minuscule mistakes that were ultimately corrected encapsulate Neon’s deception.—
Winston Cho,
HollywoodReporter,
21 Apr. 2026
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Test your hand-eye coördination and deception skills by maneuvering open windows on your desktop background, answering e-mails and texts and looking at Instagram, all while appearing to be engaged.—
Charles Yu,
New Yorker,
20 Apr. 2026
Noun
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In the Television Academy's Miami Vice oral history, Johnson revealed the show’s cutting-edge content was made possible by simple subterfuge.—
Declan Gallagher,
Entertainment Weekly,
13 Apr. 2026
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The trio went to great lengths to perpetrate the subterfuge, the indictment claims, including using hair dryers to remove packaging labels that were then reaffixed to thousands of fake replica servers.—
Amanda Gerut,
Fortune,
7 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Just typical power-grabbing Idaho lawmaker chicanery, right?—
Michael Deeds,
Idaho Statesman,
16 Apr. 2026
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In light of the chicanery that happens in the episode, the phrase also suggests a bit of victim-blaming for the harvesting of personal data.—
Scott Tobias,
Vulture,
12 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Inflamed by Ratansen’s adviser’s account of Padmavati’s beauty, Alauddin Khalji storms the fortress by treachery rather than valor.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
9 Apr. 2026
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But Bateman's treachery also had a distinctly silly side.—
Ryan Coleman,
Entertainment Weekly,
8 Apr. 2026
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
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Beyond the deceptiveness of the narrow material view, spiritual light and hope are always present to be found and felt.—
Sue Brightman,
Christian Science Monitor,
3 Jan. 2025
Noun
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Obviously, the city knew that people would see through its trickery.—
U T Readers,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
22 Apr. 2026
-
Now, there is a little bit of trickery being employed here.—
Alan Bradley,
Space.com,
16 Apr. 2026
Noun
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One result of the existing system is that vote tabulations in California go on for weeks, something that frustrates the public and the media, and, in the current atmosphere, helps fuel suspicion of electoral skullduggery.—
Michael Smolens,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
29 Mar. 2026
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The selection was announced by SMS to Iranians, among whom Mojtaba Khamenei has long had a reputation for skullduggery and power plays.—
Kay Armin Serjoie,
Time,
9 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Mike Bowman, designer, furniture industry expert, and director of marketing for Harmonia Living, says this trend relies on furnishings to bring artfulness to a space—rather than just functionality.—
Patricia Shannon,
Better Homes & Gardens,
10 Jan. 2026
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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
“Gamesmanship.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gamesmanship. Accessed 26 Apr. 2026.
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