as in deceptive
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Recent Examples of manipulative
Washington state’s House Bill 2225, due to come into effect in January 2027, will explicitly ban manipulative techniques such as excessive praise, pretending to feel distress, encouraging isolation from family, or creating overdependent relationships.
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IEEE Spectrum, 6 May 2026
The show is postapocalyptic and emotionally manipulative—think The Last of Us meets This Is Us—but the supple acting and careful character development pay off in the latest season.
—Dan Zak, The Atlantic, 3 May 2026
Throughout this intimate and urgent book, keim aims to reconcile their sense of self with a dual estrangement from their mercurial, manipulative mother and from their countries of origin.
—Literary Hub, 28 Apr. 2026
Your data The surveillance capitalism system requires people to unwittingly participate in a manipulative cycle of group- and self-surveillance.
—Anne Toomey McKenna, The Conversation, 21 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for manipulative
IEEE Spectrum, 6 May 2026
The show is postapocalyptic and emotionally manipulative—think The Last of Us meets This Is Us—but the supple acting and careful character development pay off in the latest season.
—Dan Zak, The Atlantic, 3 May 2026
Throughout this intimate and urgent book, keim aims to reconcile their sense of self with a dual estrangement from their mercurial, manipulative mother and from their countries of origin.
—Literary Hub, 28 Apr. 2026
Your data The surveillance capitalism system requires people to unwittingly participate in a manipulative cycle of group- and self-surveillance.
—Anne Toomey McKenna, The Conversation, 21 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for manipulative
Recent Examples of Synonyms for manipulative
Adjective
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The plaintiffs in the California suit claim they were misled by deceptive labeling when purchasing the product more than a dozen times in California stores.—
Itzel Luna,
Chicago Tribune,
13 May 2026
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Patel’s complaint against FanDuel includes claims for negligence, intentional infliction of emotional distress, conspiracy, and deceptive and unfair trade practices.—
Michael McCann,
Sportico.com,
12 May 2026
Adjective
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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
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Worse yet, its structure is deceitful.—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
21 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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The lawsuit also alleged Cameron’s actions were hypocritical of his films’ messaging and detailed public backlash Cameron and the films faced for its depictions of Native groups.—
Alexandra Del Rosario,
Los Angeles Times,
8 May 2026
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Seems extremely hypocritical, no?—
Ian Miller OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
29 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Adam’s devious plan and meddling soon sets everything, and everyone, spiraling out of control.—
Pete Hammond,
Deadline,
14 May 2026
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The tension between the couple, contrasted with their joint antagonism towards the devious narrator, is hilarious.—
Rima Parikh,
Vulture,
10 May 2026
Adjective
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There’s arguably no one better placed to collaborate with VFX artists on a motion-capture performance than Serkis, who’s delivered innocence, cunning, cruelty, longing, and kindness in roles that run from Golum to Caesar to King Kong himself.—
Sarah Shachat,
IndieWire,
4 May 2026
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As Michael moves into solo stardom and makes cunning business moves, the film captures how his seemingly naive idealism was also a form of ambition.—
Spencer Kornhaber,
The Atlantic,
24 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Davis gave up the first run of the game, a 412-foot solo home run by Cameron Gurney in the top of the fourth inning, that was followed by a double that could have started a crooked inning for the Utes, but Davis picked off the runner at second base.—
Lawrence Dow,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
9 May 2026
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Giuliani was elected New York’s mayor in 1993 after serving as one of the nation’s highest-profile prosecutors, taking on mobsters and crooked Wall Street traders.—
Michael R. Sisak,
Chicago Tribune,
4 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 17 May. 2026.
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