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
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
Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 8 June 2026
With enough optimization and intervention, their argument goes, the body can be manipulated into becoming fully knowable, mastered, perfect.
—Brady Brickner-Wood, New Yorker, 4 June 2026
On May 29, a sheriff's deputy responded to a report of fraud involving an elderly couple who said they had been manipulated into handing over approximately $28,000.
—Kassia Bonesteel, CBS News, 4 June 2026
Among their concerns were that images used to demonstrate findings appeared to have been manipulated.
—Christopher O'Donnell, The Orlando Sentinel, 1 June 2026
But Cepeda and Petro on Sunday night sowed doubt in the result and claimed — so far without evidence — that hundreds of thousands of votes were manipulated and that foreign actors interfered with the result.
—Megan Janetsky, Los Angeles Times, 1 June 2026
This person set him up and was manipulated in many ways.
—Laura Sirikul, Forbes.com, 1 June 2026
As the night went on, Wembanyama figured out the Thunder’s vaunted defense and continuously manipulated the shape of the game.
—Jared Weiss, New York Times, 31 May 2026
Prosecutors argued that Vallow Daybell manipulated her late brother into helping Chad Daybell, who has been sentenced to death in Idaho, carry out the crimes.
—N'dea Yancey-Bragg, USA Today, 31 May 2026
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
Benchmaxing, by contrast, is about the structural conditions under which the entire industry evaluates itself—and, the research argues, those conditions are routinely manipulated or ignored.
—Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 8 June 2026
With enough optimization and intervention, their argument goes, the body can be manipulated into becoming fully knowable, mastered, perfect.
—Brady Brickner-Wood, New Yorker, 4 June 2026
On May 29, a sheriff's deputy responded to a report of fraud involving an elderly couple who said they had been manipulated into handing over approximately $28,000.
—Kassia Bonesteel, CBS News, 4 June 2026
Among their concerns were that images used to demonstrate findings appeared to have been manipulated.
—Christopher O'Donnell, The Orlando Sentinel, 1 June 2026
But Cepeda and Petro on Sunday night sowed doubt in the result and claimed — so far without evidence — that hundreds of thousands of votes were manipulated and that foreign actors interfered with the result.
—Megan Janetsky, Los Angeles Times, 1 June 2026
This person set him up and was manipulated in many ways.
—Laura Sirikul, Forbes.com, 1 June 2026
As the night went on, Wembanyama figured out the Thunder’s vaunted defense and continuously manipulated the shape of the game.
—Jared Weiss, New York Times, 31 May 2026
Prosecutors argued that Vallow Daybell manipulated her late brother into helping Chad Daybell, who has been sentenced to death in Idaho, carry out the crimes.
—N'dea Yancey-Bragg, USA Today, 31 May 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
-
Almost 90 percent of global marine fish stocks are fully exploited or overfished.—
Tom Tapp,
Deadline,
11 June 2026
-
They can be stolen, reused and exploited.—
Art Gilliland,
Forbes.com,
11 June 2026
Verb
-
Even in the 1970s, the RAND Corporation, a US thinktank, was investigating how Dassault managed to field advanced fighter jets on time and at a cost well below US manufacturers.—
Joseph Ataman,
CNN Money,
13 June 2026
-
The only time Team USA managed to put the ball in the net sooner was in 2002 against Portugal (29th minute) and in a 1930 meeting with Paraguay (15th minute).—
Jackson Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
13 June 2026
Verb
-
The building project was negotiated by Rick Snyder, the former Republican governor of Michigan, and paid for by Canada to help ease congestion at the existing Ambassador Bridge and Detroit-Windsor tunnel.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
10 June 2026
-
Following the end of the lease, the city of Escondido would regain ownership of the space or a new lease could be negotiated.—
Frankie Rowley,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
10 June 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
-
The problem is, most people feel deceived when the person in front of them doesn't match the profile.—
Charles Trepany,
USA Today,
9 June 2026
-
Do not be deceived by this seemingly simple question.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
3 June 2026
Verb
-
But Weiss handled the booking and gave Netanyahu the option to select Garrett.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
11 June 2026
-
But the path from prototype to production at scale remains fragmented, handled by a patchwork of specialized suppliers or brave product companies building proprietary deployment and maintenance pipelines.—
Bill Curtis,
Forbes.com,
11 June 2026
Verb
-
The five-bedroom estate is arranged around a central pool courtyard, creating a private interior world of gardens, shaded terraces and open-air gathering spaces.—
Spencer Elliott,
Forbes.com,
6 June 2026
-
Police in Las Vegas arranged for him to be arrested and then extradited to California, Clark said.—
Saleen Martin,
USA Today,
5 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Manipulated.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/manipulated. Accessed 14 Jun. 2026.
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