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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Recent Examples of gamesmanship
Or maybe — just maybe — there’s some gamesmanship at play.
—
Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 10 Apr. 2025
Speaking of middle fingers, Amanda Anisimova felt compelled to show hers to Mirra Andreeva after their match on Sunday night following what appeared to be accusations of gamesmanship from the Russian towards her opponent.
—Charlie Eccleshare, The Athletic, 24 Mar. 2025
Psychologist Susan Cain, in Quiet, says introverts thrive in solitude, delivering their best work without the social stimulus overload of open offices and needing to play political gamesmanship.
—Jack Kelly, Forbes.com, 9 Apr. 2025
The characters surrounding Matt embody that gamesmanship.
—Ethan Shanfeld, Variety, 26 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for gamesmanship
Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 10 Apr. 2025
Speaking of middle fingers, Amanda Anisimova felt compelled to show hers to Mirra Andreeva after their match on Sunday night following what appeared to be accusations of gamesmanship from the Russian towards her opponent.
—Charlie Eccleshare, The Athletic, 24 Mar. 2025
Psychologist Susan Cain, in Quiet, says introverts thrive in solitude, delivering their best work without the social stimulus overload of open offices and needing to play political gamesmanship.
—Jack Kelly, Forbes.com, 9 Apr. 2025
The characters surrounding Matt embody that gamesmanship.
—Ethan Shanfeld, Variety, 26 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for gamesmanship
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gamesmanship
Noun
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But these seductions or deceptions are canceled when the work confronts us with the photographic records of the performative procedure itself—and not only by making the photograph an integral component, the dialectical complement to the material sculptural production.—
Benjamin H. D. Buchloh,
Artforum,
1 June 2025
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He’s got some deception on the puck and does a good job holding onto it to wait for secondary options to open up, but slows the game down too much.—
Scott Wheeler,
New York Times,
29 May 2025
Noun
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Remember when Russia was that pesky geopolitical force who’s own constant secrecy and subterfuge brought about the downfall of its imperial ambitions?—
Harrison Richlin,
IndieWire,
8 Mar. 2025
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But this subterfuge is perhaps the very substance of the paintings.—
Zoë Hopkins,
New York Times,
2 Jan. 2025
Noun
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Spotify, the industry’s behemoth, claims that its fraud detection programs caught Smith’s alleged chicanery.—
Kate Knibbs,
Wired News,
20 May 2025
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While shocking nonprofit chicanery has found itself in the media spotlight, the story of one West Texas charity deserves to be told and to inspire.—
Jack Fowler,
National Review,
7 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Press play below to learn more about Wells’ treachery, and to get a sneak peek at the fugitive interacting with her latest target.—
Matt Webb Mitovich,
TVLine,
7 Apr. 2025
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Sinners is one of the great vampire movies of the modern age, mining the legend of these perpetual outsiders who desperately yearn to belong, but whose silky promises are rooted in treachery.—
Stephanie Zacharek,
Time,
29 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Plus, the live-action shots and remarkable CGI trickery in bringing the Lupo creature to life are seamlessly integrated.—
Jeff Spry,
Space.com,
17 May 2025
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After Susy died suddenly in 1896, Twain wrote an essay, quoted at length by Chernow, about the sick trickery of the Almighty.—
Graeme Wood,
The Atlantic,
9 May 2025
Noun
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From encounters with mermaids, the devil and even Robin Hood to themes of superstition and skulduggery, these short tales are perfect escapism to dip in and out of during your summer vacation.—
Newsweek Staff,
MSNBC Newsweek,
28 May 2025
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This year the skulduggery began early and has been raging for week.—
Tim Spiers,
New York Times,
12 Apr. 2025
Noun
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This can be examined from the perspective of both production methods and content and aesthetic discussions: underground cinema is produced without the approval of the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance, often filmed in secrecy and distributed through foreign festivals or the internet.—
Ali Farahmand,
IndieWire,
23 May 2025
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It was put together with staggering speed to maintain secrecy.—
Caroline Reid,
Forbes.com,
16 May 2025
Noun
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Neither his fearsome resolve nor his supreme cunning—which had enabled him to vanquish his rivals and spiritually crush his inner circle—was in evidence in 1941.—
Stephen Kotkin,
Foreign Affairs,
19 Sep. 2017
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Despite being outnumbered 50-to-1 by the Five Families of the Italian mafia, the Westies’ legendary brutality and cunning have given them the leverage necessary to share the spoils through a fragile détente.—
Nellie Andreeva,
Deadline,
18 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Gamesmanship.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gamesmanship. Accessed 5 Jun. 2025.
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