Synonyms of manipulating

manipulating

verb

present participle of manipulate

1

as in exploiting

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• exploiting
• deceiving
• playing (upon)
• maneuvering
• tricking
• plotting
• fooling
• jockeying
• engineering
• duping
• devising
• deluding
• arranging
• hoodwinking
• scheming
• intriguing
• bluffing
• defrauding
• cheating
• gulling
• swindling
• conning
• masterminding
• kidding
• finagling
• fleecing
• hoaxing
• contriving
• finessing
• chiseling
• snowing
• taking in
• beguiling
• machinating
• cozening
• shanghaiing
• hustling

2

as in managing

to deal with (something) usually skillfully or efficiently

spin doctors manipulating the data to make it seem more favorable to their preferred candidates

Synonyms & Similar Words

• managing
• handling
• addressing
• treating
• negotiating
• taking
• playing
• maneuvering
• hacking
• swinging
• coping (with)
• fielding
• grappling (with)
• controlling
• contending (with)
• pulling
• coming to grips with
• regulating
• jockeying
• having a grip on
• guiding
• engineering
• carrying out
• directing
• steering
• finessing
• getting off
• carrying off
• commanding
• responding (to)
• reacting (to)
• micromanaging
• bringing off
• running

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• fumbling
• mishandling
• bungling
• botching
• messing (up)
• muffing
• goofing (up)
• scamping
• lousing up
• foozling

3

as in negotiating

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• negotiating
• arranging
• plotting
• managing
• engineering
• maneuvering
• contriving
• framing
• masterminding
• finessing
• wangling
• machinating
• finagling
• concluding
• scheming
• conducting
• concocting
• handling
• conniving
• directing
• concerting
• working out
• hammering out
• intriguing
• hatching
• compassing
• brewing
• angling (for)
• commanding
• cooking (up)
• running
• gerrymandering
• quarterbacking
• captaining

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• blowing
• mangling
• fumbling
• mishandling
• butchering
• bungling
• botching
• messing (up)
• gumming (up)
• flubbing
• bobbling
• muffing
• lousing up

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of manipulating

The ever-expanding, replicating, and manipulating series of rooms take scraps and memories of those who pass through it, expanding into something that defies personality or ease. —Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 2 June 2026

Uribe sued Cepeda for allegedly manipulating witnesses, but the Supreme Court cleared Cepeda of wrongdoing. —Chad De Guzman, Time, 1 June 2026

Even as topics of AI creation loom, Oakey sees potential in manipulating technology all over again and seeing what results this time around. —Selena Fragassi, SPIN, 28 May 2026

Unlike vision-only systems, Atlas relies heavily on proprioception—internal sensing of body position, load, balance, grip, and resistance—while manipulating objects. —Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 27 May 2026

The Zapatistas, considered the first informational guerrilla movement, used hacktivism, or manipulating computer systems or networks to promote a political ideology or social change. —Paulo Nuno Vicenteall, Encyclopedia Britannica, 26 May 2026

Consider, too, relatively new forms of trickery, such as manipulating substitution procedures or spying on rivals. —Cesar R. Torres, The Conversation, 26 May 2026

The malevolent Sidious put Maul through the wringer, torturing and manipulating him on his path to becoming a fearsome Sith Lord. —Sergio Pereira, Space.com, 19 May 2026

Kinematic intelligence began with EPFL researchers motion-capturing humans setting, shoving, tossing, and otherwise manipulating objects. —New Atlas, 18 May 2026