as in deceptive
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Recent Examples of manipulative
Harden is a prodding, manipulative guard who wants defensive hands to get caught in the cookie jar.
—
Tony Jones, New York Times, 18 May 2026
The platform is designed to detect and interpret potential scam signals across digital conversations, offering users real-time insight into whether a message may be misleading or manipulative.
—Lyssanoel Frater, USA Today, 14 May 2026
Their bond — both are outsiders who suffered abuse as children — is one of the few emotional soft spots in the otherwise fast-moving series about America’s rotten power structure, manipulative media and the gullibility of the public.
—Los Angeles Times, 13 May 2026
His decision to pull out of the house sales upends an entire property chain, as his manipulative nature unsettles those around him.
—Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 13 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for manipulative
Tony Jones, New York Times, 18 May 2026
The platform is designed to detect and interpret potential scam signals across digital conversations, offering users real-time insight into whether a message may be misleading or manipulative.
—Lyssanoel Frater, USA Today, 14 May 2026
Their bond — both are outsiders who suffered abuse as children — is one of the few emotional soft spots in the otherwise fast-moving series about America’s rotten power structure, manipulative media and the gullibility of the public.
—Los Angeles Times, 13 May 2026
His decision to pull out of the house sales upends an entire property chain, as his manipulative nature unsettles those around him.
—Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 13 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for manipulative
Recent Examples of Synonyms for manipulative
Adjective
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This isn’t an easy history to tell since obfuscation, confusion, and deceptive hype are its central themes.—
Jonathan Odden,
Artforum,
2 June 2026
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Owens also challenged the ballot title and summary as deceptive.—
Jack Harvel
June 2,
Kansas City Star,
2 June 2026
Adjective
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In her response, Hajdini cast Rana as manipulative and deceitful, intent on ruining her life and besmirching her employer through his sensational accusations.—
David Chiu,
PEOPLE,
28 May 2026
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In classical Athens the playwright Aristophanes attacked purveyors of knowledge for being intellectually untrustworthy, essentially deceitful.—
Clare Bucknell,
The New York Review of Books,
25 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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People are fixating on celebrities of all kinds, accusing singers of body-positive anthems of being hypocritical, rolling their eyes at athletes promoting weight loss drugs and whispering about the thinness of their favorite movie stars.—
Sara Moniuszko,
USA Today,
29 May 2026
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Yet, the sense of cognitive dissonance that pervades this space can feel blindingly hypocritical.—
Megan Feringa,
New York Times,
27 May 2026
Adjective
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The 21st century has yielded no shortage of stylish horror marbled with devious veins of pitch-dark humor — Peter Strickland’s In Fabric, Jennifer Kent’s The Babadook, Halina Reijn’s Bodies Bodies Bodies, Sam Raimi’s Drag Me to Hell, pretty much every Jordan Peele feature.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
22 May 2026
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After thinking about the weighty matter, the vendor comes up with a clever or perhaps devious plan.—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes.com,
17 May 2026
Adjective
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What could be more cunning and disgusting than training dogs to commit anal rape?—
David Frum,
The Atlantic,
21 May 2026
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Dano’s static line delivery gets used for a chilling but laconic effect as his character’s cunning political negotiations lead to deadly outcomes.—
Randy Myers,
Mercury News,
13 May 2026
Adjective
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Falter struggled, but he also wasn’t helped by a replay review that helped the Yankees put up a crooked number in the first inning.—
Pete Grathoff,
Kansas City Star,
27 May 2026
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The storybook structure has a pointed roof, crooked chimney, and the general appearance of something out of a Brothers Grimm illustration.—
David Hochman,
Forbes.com,
26 May 2026
Adjective
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The Knicks won Game 3 Friday night, and are on the verge of sweeping their rivals, which serves Philadelphia right for trying to pull off such an underhanded scheme.—
Leonard Greene,
New York Daily News,
9 May 2026
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Two days after Judson Independent School District trustees fired him, former Superintendent Milton Fields shot back, claiming board President Monica Ryan led an underhanded campaign to oust him.—
Sophia Veneziano,
San Antonio Express-News,
24 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Blake Lively, Leighton Meester, and Chace Crawford catapulted to fame playing the scheming social butterflies flitting around Gossip Girl's Upper East Side.—
Rachel DeSantis,
Entertainment Weekly,
6 Apr. 2026
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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
Cite this Entry
“Manipulative.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/manipulative. Accessed 4 Jun. 2026.
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