as in deceptive
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Recent Examples of manipulative
Others would call it emotionally manipulative, particularly considering Belly hasn’t yet replied to any of his letters.
—
Olivia Petter, Vogue, 16 Sep. 2025
While such a scenario sounds potentially maudlin and manipulative, Lucero — who wrote the film from a personal place — never allows that to happen by making the characters complex and flawed, and laboring under real-life issues.
—Randy Myers, Mercury News, 12 Sep. 2025
In the complicated, thorny, offensive, manipulative, sometimes hilarious, sometimes uncomfortable video interview, which evokes the feeling of an uncle sitting down with his hardheaded nephew, Thug is reeling and full of so much anxiety that his legs are shaking.
—Alphonse Pierre, Pitchfork, 11 Sep. 2025
The group, which often included other members, had a dark, cult-like persona, with Vincent as the charismatic, manipulative leader.
—Andrew Ravens, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for manipulative
Olivia Petter, Vogue, 16 Sep. 2025
While such a scenario sounds potentially maudlin and manipulative, Lucero — who wrote the film from a personal place — never allows that to happen by making the characters complex and flawed, and laboring under real-life issues.
—Randy Myers, Mercury News, 12 Sep. 2025
In the complicated, thorny, offensive, manipulative, sometimes hilarious, sometimes uncomfortable video interview, which evokes the feeling of an uncle sitting down with his hardheaded nephew, Thug is reeling and full of so much anxiety that his legs are shaking.
—Alphonse Pierre, Pitchfork, 11 Sep. 2025
The group, which often included other members, had a dark, cult-like persona, with Vincent as the charismatic, manipulative leader.
—Andrew Ravens, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for manipulative
Recent Examples of Synonyms for manipulative
Adjective
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Specifically, the four customers argued that Hershey's violated Florida Deceptive And Unfair Trade Practices Act, which is designed to protect Floridians from unfair competition, deceptive acts and unethical practices.—
Greta Cross,
USA Today,
26 Sep. 2025
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In recent years, users have increasingly been taking to court to challenge allegedly deceptive practices by Amazon.—
Winston Cho,
HollywoodReporter,
25 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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The bank temporarily increased its numbers until its deceitful actions became public, leading to $185 million in fines and continuous significant expenses for rebuilding customer trust.—
Boris Kontsevoi,
Forbes.com,
19 Sep. 2025
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Advertisement In his first term, President Trump wasn’t happy with Pakistan and described its establishment as deceitful.—
Mohammed Hanif,
Time,
2 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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However, his latest mistake is very hypocritical and raises some questions about double standards in his coaching.—
Drew VonScio,
MSNBC Newsweek,
1 Oct. 2025
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Most of these hypocritical legislators are near the completion of their involvement in the Capitol thanks to term limits.—
John Moorlach,
Oc Register,
22 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Our wrap actually occurred at a much less devious-sounding feature—Huggy Bear.—
Madison Dapcevich,
Outside,
13 Sep. 2025
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The central problem in American politics is not a matter of devious leaders, foreign intrigue or sectional rivalries — things that will always exist.—
Robert A. Strong,
The Conversation,
8 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Maigret must outwit some of Paris’s most cunning and violent criminals, while dealing with his own troubled past.—
Jessica Radloff,
Glamour,
1 Oct. 2025
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These subsidies were cunning, part of a decades-long effort to keep alive the myths that offshore wind energy is nearly self-sufficient and generates increasingly inexpensive electricity.—
Craig Rucker,
Boston Herald,
26 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Most playoff games are often decided by big moments and managerial decisions, not crooked numbers and tired relievers.—
Jon Greenberg,
New York Times,
2 Oct. 2025
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The show, which followed a crooked New Mexican lawyer, played by Bob Odenkirk, was an archly funny drama, shot partly in gritty black-and-white.—
Rachel Syme,
New Yorker,
29 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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An underhanded minority are adapting to laxer journal policies by using artificial intelligence to accelerate their research pipeline.—
Thomas Morgan,
The Conversation,
12 Sep. 2025
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Another state legislative proposal to allow public districts to hire school chaplains, which critics view as an underhanded attempt at evangelizing to students, has only succeeded in Texas and Florida.—
Liam Adams,
Nashville Tennessean,
2 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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After taking scheming actions, the model sometimes doubles down on its deception when asked follow-up questions.—
Harper’s Magazine,
Harpers Magazine,
19 Sep. 2025
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What initially seems to be a satire about corporate downsizing evolves into a kind of scheming caper romp, before downshifting into something that feels more horror-comedy structured.—
Joe Reid,
Vulture,
16 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Manipulative.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/manipulative. Accessed 6 Oct. 2025.
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