manipulated 1 of 2

adjective

as in engineered

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manipulated

2 of 2

verb

past tense of manipulate
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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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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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 manipulated
Adjective
What emerged was a startling portrait of manipulated devotion that culminated in Jeffs' 2006 arrest by the FBI. — Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 8 Apr. 2026 Mazzola, 43, also allegedly participated in an armed robbery to steal a manipulated shuffling machine. — Daniel Arkin, NBC news, 24 Oct. 2025
Verb
This limits the damage if the agent behaves unexpectedly, is manipulated by malicious input or uses credentials improperly. — Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2026 This is a town where almost everybody’s breasts have been sliced, diced, manipulated, and put back together. — Huntley Woods, Entertainment Weekly, 3 Aug. 2026 The lawsuit also alleges that Penske and Boehly manipulated and misused California’s nonprofit laws. — Andrew Dalton, Fortune, 29 July 2026 The spin of that electron can be manipulated just like the spin of one held in a quantum dot. — ArsTechnica, 29 July 2026 James Blake posted recently about how nearly every visible signal of success in music can now be manipulated. — Jp Saxe, Variety, 28 July 2026 Prosecutors said the text merely reflects a minor being manipulated by a legal adult. — Jason Kravarik, CNN Money, 27 July 2026 Observers also raise concerns around selective or manipulated releases of official video. — Sarah Matusek, Christian Science Monitor, 23 July 2026 The filing further claimed that Burke pursued, manipulated, and abused Rivas for years. — Nancy Dillon, VIBE.com, 21 July 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for manipulated
  1. engineered
  2. exploited
  3. managed
  4. negotiated
  5. adulterated
  6. deceived
  7. handled
  8. arranged
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
Definition of engineered
Verb
  • If the Dodgers hadn’t brilliantly exploited an MLB economic system that privileges big-market teams, the Padres wouldn’t be so beholden to the wild-card option year after year.
    — Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 3 Aug. 2026
  • Federal prosecutors said the men exploited three girls who had run away from foster care, taking advantage of their ages, unstable living situations and lack of family support.
    — Eric Weiss, Sun Sentinel, 3 Aug. 2026
Definition of exploited
Verb
  • Each step might hit a different model on different hardware managed by a different team.
    — Srikanta Datta, Forbes.com, 4 Aug. 2026
  • The Pats have managed his reps in an attempt to keep him healthy.
    — Chad Graff, New York Times, 4 Aug. 2026
Definition of managed
Verb
  • Suffice it to say that the Kittrells could probably have negotiated much better deals with their creditors than 100 cents on the dollar.
    — Jay Adkisson, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2026
  • Former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, who negotiated the 39 percent compromise, has stressed that Congress wrote the cap into law specifically to keep the FCC from changing it.
    — Cynthia Littleton, Variety, 6 Aug. 2026
Definition of negotiated
Adjective
  • Navarro, who pleaded guilty to two counts of conspiracy in August, was sentenced Friday in Manhattan by federal Judge Mary Kay Vyskocil for being part of a conspiracy to distribute and administer adulterated and misbranded drugs for racehorses.
    — Stephen Edelson, The Courier-Journal, 18 Dec. 2021
Definition of adulterated
Verb
  • The Federal Trade Commission sued Hims & Hers yesterday, alleging the direct-to-consumer telehealth company deceived consumers purchasing clinical care and medications through the site.
    — Helen Branswell, STAT, 30 July 2026
  • Mora filed a cross-complaint against Giumarra alleging he was deceived by the company and its representatives into signing a contract that made false claims about the fruit, including that it was patented by Giumarra.
    — Robert Rodriguez, Sacbee.com, 24 July 2026
Definition of deceived
Verb
  • The Strait of Hormuz — which handled around one-fifth of global oil supply before the war — has seen traffic drop to a trickle with sporadic increase in ship transits on positive headlines.
    — Anniek Bao, CNBC, 3 Aug. 2026
  • What expressiveness in the robot changed in participants was how their brains handled the moment.
    — Yigit Topoglu, The Conversation, 3 Aug. 2026
Definition of handled
Verb
  • The detail arranged the traffic stop on the other side of the island, in front of the Lihue post office, under the assumption that Brun would surrender peacefully in such a public location.
    — Guthrie Scrimgeour, Rolling Stone, 2 Aug. 2026
  • After the living room, Birdie wandered to the dining room, where she was cast into an underwater light, the sun sifting through the plants arranged by the long window.
    — Rachel Yoder, New Yorker, 2 Aug. 2026
Definition of arranged

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Cite this Entry

“Manipulated.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/manipulated. Accessed 9 Aug. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of manipulated for Spanish Speakers

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