as in deceptive
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Recent Examples of manipulative
Yann Gozlan’s psychological thriller Guru, which stars Pierre Niney as a charismatic and manipulative self-help guru, will close the festival this year.
—
Diana Lodderhose, Deadline, 28 Oct. 2025
Talamasca wants viewers to invest in these two as a pair — Guy as the resistant, questioning prodigy and Helen as his no-nonsense, charmingly manipulative mother figure — but the series doesn’t develop Guy well enough to make their relationship worth caring about.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 25 Oct. 2025
Her strategically manipulative style of play on the series earned her the nickname Black Widow, a moniker that also followed her on other reality show appearances, such as on The Traitors 2 and Deal or No Deal Island 2.
—Lauren Huff, Entertainment Weekly, 22 Oct. 2025
Subjectivity is accepted as part of delivering the news, which creates something that is obviously manipulative and that's very interesting to show this.
—Senior Editor, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for manipulative
Diana Lodderhose, Deadline, 28 Oct. 2025
Talamasca wants viewers to invest in these two as a pair — Guy as the resistant, questioning prodigy and Helen as his no-nonsense, charmingly manipulative mother figure — but the series doesn’t develop Guy well enough to make their relationship worth caring about.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 25 Oct. 2025
Her strategically manipulative style of play on the series earned her the nickname Black Widow, a moniker that also followed her on other reality show appearances, such as on The Traitors 2 and Deal or No Deal Island 2.
—Lauren Huff, Entertainment Weekly, 22 Oct. 2025
Subjectivity is accepted as part of delivering the news, which creates something that is obviously manipulative and that's very interesting to show this.
—Senior Editor, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for manipulative
Recent Examples of Synonyms for manipulative
Adjective
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The lawsuit, filed in New York federal court on Tuesday, brings claims for deceptive practices and false advertising, among others.—
Winston Cho,
HollywoodReporter,
5 Nov. 2025
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The complaints allow the public to report unfair or deceptive business practices, according to the agency’s website, and can prompt investigations from the office.—
Nicole Blanchard,
Idaho Statesman,
3 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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The father, Fyodor Karamazov, is a grasping, lecherous, deceitful, and shameless widower.—
Karl Ove Knausgaard,
New Yorker,
21 Oct. 2025
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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
Adjective
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Susan Shelley of the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association blasted the pork-project spending as hypocritical, especially as some liberal groups and lawmakers support raising taxes or turning to voters to pass new bonds to prop up the state’s shaky finances.—
Wire Report,
Mercury News,
7 Nov. 2025
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Advertisement Of course, there is such a thing as being too bad—and too hypocritical.—
Shadi Hamid,
Time,
3 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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Four years ago, the Panama Papers, a massive leak of documents from the law firm Mossack Fonseca, revealed how the rich and devious evade taxes and launder profits through opaque offshore shell companies.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
7 Nov. 2025
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The news is met with outrage by Krystal (Anissa Borrego), her ditzy but loyal star flyer, and with histrionic despair by her secretly devious assistant coach, named Tammy Istiny.—
Angie Han,
HollywoodReporter,
7 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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Fueled by vengeance and cunning ambition, Ashur rises from betrayal and bloodshed to seize power, gouging out a place for the House of Ashur in a new arena full of violence, desire, and twisted loyalty.—
Rosy Cordero,
Deadline,
30 Oct. 2025
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The elaborate scheme, masterminded by members of four Mafia families in collusion with celebrity athletes, ensnared unsuspecting victims, bleeding them of over $7 million through cunning deception, prosecutors said in the indictment.—
Alaa Elassar,
CNN Money,
27 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Recent reports that a number of current and former NBA players were allegedly faking injuries and trading inside information with crooked gamblers has left sports fans and media reeling.—
David Hill,
Rolling Stone,
31 Oct. 2025
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After a disastrous attempt at bedding Minde’s ex-girlfriend Edita (Vaidilė Juozaitytė), our flat-top sporting hero with a crooked smile meets Monika (Digna Kulionytė), an ambitious, studious beauty from the middle-class area of town.—
Courtney Howard,
Variety,
30 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Why is it being framed like Keiarna never said anything or is being underhanded, and why is Keiarna only pointing this out in a confessional?—
Shamira Ibrahim,
Vulture,
10 Nov. 2025
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Norma is contrasted by her narcissistic, foulmouthed, crash-and-burn sister, Wanda, who has chosen Norma’s house as a rendezvous point with an old boyfriend … against Norma’s wishes, and for very underhanded reasons.—
Duante Beddingfield,
Freep.com,
24 Oct. 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 13 Nov. 2025.
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