as in deceptive
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Recent Examples of manipulative
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
Meanwhile, a manipulative judge, Roland Brack (Nicholas Pinnock), lurks around the fringes, hoping to seduce or even blackmail the electrically attractive Hedda.
—Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 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
For television, Eggar starred opposite Yul Brynner in a 1972 CBS adaptation of The King and I and took on the role of the manipulative Phyllis Dietrichson, famously played by Barbara Stanwyck on the big screen, in a 1973 ABC remake of Double Indemnity.
—Chris Koseluk, HollywoodReporter, 17 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for manipulative
Lauren Huff, Entertainment Weekly, 22 Oct. 2025
Meanwhile, a manipulative judge, Roland Brack (Nicholas Pinnock), lurks around the fringes, hoping to seduce or even blackmail the electrically attractive Hedda.
—Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 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
For television, Eggar starred opposite Yul Brynner in a 1972 CBS adaptation of The King and I and took on the role of the manipulative Phyllis Dietrichson, famously played by Barbara Stanwyck on the big screen, in a 1973 ABC remake of Double Indemnity.
—Chris Koseluk, HollywoodReporter, 17 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for manipulative
Recent Examples of Synonyms for manipulative
Adjective
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In New Jersey, creating or sharing deceptive AI media can lead to prison time and fines.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
25 Oct. 2025
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But the first time around, producers relied on deceptive camera angles and some CGI to edit out her pregnancy belly.—
Shania Russell,
Entertainment Weekly,
23 Oct. 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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Advertisement Of course, there is such a thing as being too bad—and too hypocritical.—
Shadi Hamid,
Time,
3 Nov. 2025
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The anti-American side focuses exclusively on the tragedies, usually makes slavery the chief argument for the prosecution, and dismisses the triumphs as hypocritical rhetoric.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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The series then retreats to 2019 to trace the circumstances that led to these killings, building toward the inevitability of Maggie and Paul’s death and filtering the whole family through a lens of catastrophe, where every member is either ill-fated or devious.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
24 Oct. 2025
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Perhaps Munro’s most popular role is as Betty’s devious dad, Hal Cooper, on Riverdale (2017–2023).—
Skyler Trepel,
Entertainment Weekly,
19 Oct. 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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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
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Another crooked number against the Dodgers’ bullpen in the seventh inning cemented a 6-2 Game 4 victory that evened the World Series at two games apiece.—
Bill Plunkett,
Oc Register,
29 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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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
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Both players entertained the crowd, hitting occasional underhanded serves and between-the-legs winners, and Tiafoe sported a Charlotte Hornets jersey for the match.—
Scott Fowler,
Charlotte Observer,
15 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 6 Nov. 2025.
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