as in cunning
clever at attaining one's ends by indirect and often deceptive means
the novel is about an elderly man and his scheming son who is impatient to inherit the family fortune
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in plotting
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
as in conniving
to engage in a secret plan to accomplish evil or unlawful ends
the town inspector had schemed to overlook the contractor's code violations in exchange for a substantial bribe
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of scheming
Demetris Nellas, BostonGlobe.com, 10 Jan. 2023
Dan Aykroyd and Eddie Murphy get revenge on two scheming executives.
—Aj Willingham, CNN, 23 Dec. 2022
Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 1 Dec. 2025
Ross has long admired McDaniel's offensive scheming and thinks the coach can still provide a competitive advantage in that realm, according to a coach familiar with the Dolphins' thinking.
—Mike Sando, New York Times, 10 Nov. 2025
Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 15 Dec. 2025
Dinah, who is getting heartbreakingly good at scheming, takes out a rusted shard of metal from one of the pews and gives it to Sarah, who hands it to Zoë.
—Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 10 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for scheming
Adjective
Many viewed him as being manipulated by his scheming mother, dowager Queen Frederica.
—Demetris Nellas, BostonGlobe.com, 10 Jan. 2023
Dan Aykroyd and Eddie Murphy get revenge on two scheming executives.
—Aj Willingham, CNN, 23 Dec. 2022
Noun
The foundation of modern defensive scheming is disguise, and for the first time in a long time, the Niners have a duo that appears interchangeable.
—Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 1 Dec. 2025
Ross has long admired McDaniel's offensive scheming and thinks the coach can still provide a competitive advantage in that realm, according to a coach familiar with the Dolphins' thinking.
—Mike Sando, New York Times, 10 Nov. 2025
Verb
No opposing offensive coordinator is scheming anything to accommodate a Cowboys defensive player, other than Williams.
—Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 15 Dec. 2025
Dinah, who is getting heartbreakingly good at scheming, takes out a rusted shard of metal from one of the pews and gives it to Sarah, who hands it to Zoë.
—Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 10 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for scheming
Recent Examples of Synonyms for scheming
Adjective
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Varner described the creatures as diabolically cunning, destructive, and nocturnal.—
Paige Williams,
New Yorker,
12 Jan. 2026
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The show followed Jonathan Pine (Tom Hiddleston), a former British military officer who goes undercover to help take down Richard Roper (Hugh Laurie), a cunning, amoral arms dealer helping to destabilize the Middle East.—
Wesley Stenzel,
Entertainment Weekly,
11 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Yet what elevates the show is its focus on gender relations and atoning for the sins of the past, adding layers of depth beyond its lurid plotting and somewhat ridiculousness.—
James Mercadante,
Entertainment Weekly,
4 Jan. 2026
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In a movie that is both very serious and very funny, Haim’s incognito-mode wig is both part of the plotting and the film’s best sight gag.—
Jason P. Frank,
Vulture,
1 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Ariana Grande made a cute face while taking a pic with Steven Spielberg.—
Stephanie Sengwe,
PEOPLE,
12 Jan. 2026
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Jump on the trend early with this cute, hands-free Michael Kors crossbody bag.—
Alyssa Morin,
InStyle,
11 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Kojima improves the balance of combat, stealth and exploration while telling a more intriguing story as Sam deals with tragedy and finds redemption in his mission.—
Gieson Cacho,
Mercury News,
29 Dec. 2025
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As next-generation wireless communications increasingly focus on the transmission channel, the ability to include sensing, communication, and power harvesting into a single hardware platform is expected to impact fields ranging from the Internet of Things to intelligent stealth.—
Aman Tripathi,
Interesting Engineering,
28 Dec. 2025
Adjective
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The slick material keeps chafing to a minimum during workouts, and the brushed inside is so soft against the skin and helps keep cold air out and your body heat in.—
Olivia Dubyak,
InStyle,
8 Jan. 2026
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Between the melting ice under the court and heavy rain Thursday night in Chicago, condensation created a slick and dangerous playing surface.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
8 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Cruz also pressed his Democratic colleagues to join a bipartisan request for the DOJ to turn over the evidentiary basis for the subpoenas, arguing transparency was necessary to assess whether the secrecy orders were justified.—
Kaelan Deese,
The Washington Examiner,
8 Jan. 2026
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For years, Maryland’s sprawling nonprofit sector has operated behind a veil of secrecy that state leaders praise publicly but struggle to explain under scrutiny.—
Gary Collins,
Baltimore Sun,
8 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Scheming.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scheming. Accessed 14 Jan. 2026.
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