as in engineered
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1
as in exploited
to control or take advantage of by artful, unfair, or insidious means
the con man would slyly manipulate the emotions of his marks in order to win their sympathy and trust
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2
as in managed
to deal with (something) usually skillfully or efficiently
spin doctors manipulating the data to make it seem more favorable to their preferred candidates
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in negotiated
to plan out usually with subtle skill or care
manipulated the schedule of presidential primaries so that the choice of the party elders would win the nomination
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Recent Examples of manipulated
Daniel Arkin, NBC news, 24 Oct. 2025
Kelly Lawler, USA Today, 16 Feb. 2026
Do not let our youth be manipulated by agents of chaos into participating in protests, jeopardizing their education and future.
—Eleanor Dearman, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 14 Feb. 2026
Cat-eye polish can be manipulated into any number of intricate designs, including these mesmerizing swirls.
—Ariel Wodarcyk, InStyle, 10 Feb. 2026
His lawsuit claims Guevara manipulated witnesses and falsified evidence to secure a wrongful conviction.
—Jake Sheridan, Chicago Tribune, 9 Feb. 2026
Last year, many were convinced American politics would be destabilized by videos manipulated by artificial intelligence, or lulled into a post-truth stupor by AI slop.
—Ben Smith, semafor.com, 9 Feb. 2026
What’s interesting is the NBA has moved away from some events that either have become stale or manipulated, such as the skills competition giving way at next week’s All-Star Weekend.
—Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 8 Feb. 2026
The agency manipulated wait times, cutting veterans off from community care access.
—Washington Post, 6 Feb. 2026
Certain brands of that vintage can be manipulated in ways that later models can’t.
—Manuel Mendoza, Dallas Morning News, 5 Feb. 2026
Adjective
Mazzola, 43, also allegedly participated in an armed robbery to steal a manipulated shuffling machine.
—Daniel Arkin, NBC news, 24 Oct. 2025
Verb
Both reflect on their experience and say they felt manipulated and vulnerable.
—Kelly Lawler, USA Today, 16 Feb. 2026
Do not let our youth be manipulated by agents of chaos into participating in protests, jeopardizing their education and future.
—Eleanor Dearman, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 14 Feb. 2026
Cat-eye polish can be manipulated into any number of intricate designs, including these mesmerizing swirls.
—Ariel Wodarcyk, InStyle, 10 Feb. 2026
His lawsuit claims Guevara manipulated witnesses and falsified evidence to secure a wrongful conviction.
—Jake Sheridan, Chicago Tribune, 9 Feb. 2026
Last year, many were convinced American politics would be destabilized by videos manipulated by artificial intelligence, or lulled into a post-truth stupor by AI slop.
—Ben Smith, semafor.com, 9 Feb. 2026
What’s interesting is the NBA has moved away from some events that either have become stale or manipulated, such as the skills competition giving way at next week’s All-Star Weekend.
—Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 8 Feb. 2026
The agency manipulated wait times, cutting veterans off from community care access.
—Washington Post, 6 Feb. 2026
Certain brands of that vintage can be manipulated in ways that later models can’t.
—Manuel Mendoza, Dallas Morning News, 5 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for manipulated
Adjective
-
Without much public debate or planning, these semi-engineered levees took on a critical and unintended role.—
Farshid Vahedifard,
The Conversation,
29 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
The members of the council understand that the disarray wrought by Clark’s departure and the lingering concerns about Meyer could be exploited by the owners during bargaining sessions.—
Andy McCullough,
New York Times,
19 Feb. 2026
-
The Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs, however, exploited the zone for highly efficient shooting nights against the Lakers before the break.—
Benjamin Royer,
Oc Register,
18 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Against the odds, Ukraine managed to repel the initial Russian attack on Kyiv and, within a few months, took back large swaths of land originally seized by Moscow.—
Ivana Kottasová,
CNN Money,
20 Feb. 2026
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Abstaining from all fluids may sound challenging, but it can be managed with proper planning, says fitness and mental health coach Saima Husain, who is also fasting during Ramadan.—
Devinder Bains,
Vogue,
20 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Unlike their peers in other major leagues, NBA players can invest in sports gambling companies and advertise for them, a right negotiated in the 2023 collective bargaining agreement.—
Mike Vorkunov,
New York Times,
18 Feb. 2026
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In recent weeks, Baker McKenzie, a white-shoe law firm, axed 700 employees, Salesforce sacked hundreds of workers, and the auditing firm KPMG negotiated lower fees with its own auditor.—
Annie Lowrey,
The Atlantic,
18 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
The company in 2020 pleaded guilty to distributing adulterated ice-cream products and agreed to pay a fine over the outbreak.—
Dylan Tokar,
WSJ,
2 Feb. 2023
-
And while most of those overdoses involved the illicit synthetic opioid fentanyl, experts say that an adulterated and contaminated drug supply is also leading to deaths.—
Nadia Kounang,
CNN,
17 Mar. 2022
Verb
-
And don’t be deceived by Saturday’s sunny skies as the high will be 32 with wind chills as low as 9 degrees.—
Amanda McCoy,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
30 Jan. 2026
-
Challengers should give Marylanders the option to choose a new direction and remove the need to confront the painful reality that they were deceived.—
Torrey Snow,
Baltimore Sun,
14 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Lensed on 16mm by Frimmel, who handled DP duties, while Covi is credited as both screenwriter and co-editor, the film has a grainy old-school look that adds to the general sense of time gone by.—
Jordan Mintzer,
HollywoodReporter,
19 Feb. 2026
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In 2019, Ito admitted to concealing financial ties to Epstein and stepped down amid backlash over how donations were handled and characterized.—
Eva Roytburg,
Fortune,
19 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Cribs, rollaways, and babysitting can be arranged.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
22 Feb. 2026
-
But vanishingly few have the equipment and technical know-how for traditional letterpress printing, in which individual letters on wood or metal ‘type’ blocks are arranged into words, inked up and physically pressed onto paper.—
Jared Kaufman,
Twin Cities,
21 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Manipulated.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/manipulated. Accessed 22 Feb. 2026.
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