as in exploited
to control or take advantage of by artful, unfair, or insidious means
played upon the customer's vanity to convince her to buy the expensive makeup kit
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for played (upon)
Verb
-
The members of the council understand that the disarray wrought by Clark’s departure and the lingering concerns about Meyer could be exploited by the owners during bargaining sessions.—
Andy McCullough,
New York Times,
19 Feb. 2026 -
The Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs, however, exploited the zone for highly efficient shooting nights against the Lakers before the break.—
Benjamin Royer,
Oc Register,
18 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Both reflect on their experience and say they felt manipulated and vulnerable.—
Kelly Lawler,
USA Today,
16 Feb. 2026
-
Do not let our youth be manipulated by agents of chaos into participating in protests, jeopardizing their education and future.—
Eleanor Dearman,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
14 Feb. 2026
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Cite this Entry
“Played (upon).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/played%20%28upon%29. Accessed 22 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
