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
Peter D'abrosca, FOXNews.com, 3 Feb. 2026
But the hardest part of the novel wasn’t scripting the scheming, backstabbing, or duplicitous behavior.
—Literary Hub, 29 Jan. 2026
Los Angeles Times, 5 Mar. 2026
Natalie Haynes fleshes out the backstories of her cast—Jason, a handsome ship captain on a quest for the Golden Fleece, the scheming sorceress Medea, and Olympian deities toying with mortals like marionettes—and imbues them all with contemporary vibes.
—Hamilton Cain, Time, 3 Mar. 2026
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
Students should not be exploited as cash cows for the political scheming of adults.
—Peter D'abrosca, FOXNews.com, 3 Feb. 2026
But the hardest part of the novel wasn’t scripting the scheming, backstabbing, or duplicitous behavior.
—Literary Hub, 29 Jan. 2026
Verb
These AIs have shown behaviors as varied as deception and blackmail, to scheming and cheating by hacking software.
—Los Angeles Times, 5 Mar. 2026
Natalie Haynes fleshes out the backstories of her cast—Jason, a handsome ship captain on a quest for the Golden Fleece, the scheming sorceress Medea, and Olympian deities toying with mortals like marionettes—and imbues them all with contemporary vibes.
—Hamilton Cain, Time, 3 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for scheming
Recent Examples of Synonyms for scheming
Adjective
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In state media comedy shows, jokes about Putin are told from time to time, but they are used to bolster his image as a powerful, cunning leader, and hold up Russia as a great country.—
Neringa Klumbytė,
The Conversation,
4 Mar. 2026
-
These ambitious, cunning, and often amoral Cold War operatives were usually marginal or even inconsequential figures at home.—
Alfred McCoy,
Literary Hub,
26 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
The dramatic checkerboard floors beg to be used in a story of Machiavellian plotting and/or black-and-white morality.—
Bethy Squires,
Vulture,
12 Mar. 2026
-
Between Duke, Kaulo, and Beckett’s plotting, there are enough moving parts to drive the story toward a climactic, incendiary end.—
Miriam Balanescu,
IndieWire,
5 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Though when he’s finally seen in full evil flight, the actor is arguably allowed to wax a little too cute about it.—
Dennis Harvey,
Variety,
14 Mar. 2026
-
Place them in a cute Weck jar and have a little pickle fork handy.—
Mary Shannon Wells,
Southern Living,
14 Mar. 2026
Noun
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For a creature that relies on stealth and stillness in low-light forest habitats, that potential ability to sense ambient light through its own body adds to an already unusual sensory profile.—
Hanna Wickes,
Kansas City Star,
10 Mar. 2026
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According to Fincantieri, key innovations from Italian industry, including a lithium-ion propulsion battery and a new combat system, will deliver improved stealth, endurance, operational efficiency, and stronger cyber resilience.—
Jijo Malayil,
Interesting Engineering,
3 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Jared Wright skated it down and turned back a slick pass for Laughton, whose whirling, sharp-angle bid beat Dobeš improbably to the far side.—
Andrew Knoll,
Daily News,
8 Mar. 2026
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In the end, such planning was rendered redundant by a combination of VAR and slick Chelsea play in extra time, leaving Wrexham to focus on perhaps making this fixture an annual event in the Premier League.—
Richard Sutcliffe,
New York Times,
8 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Meanwhile Wisconsin, once celebrated for its historic commitment to open government, now appears poised to become a new bastion of secrecy in service of its rooting interests.—
Daniel Libit,
Sportico.com,
9 Mar. 2026
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Colleen in the service of good was wilier than the friends of secrecy and found a way to thwart their plan.—
Kevin Rennie,
Hartford Courant,
7 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Scheming.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scheming. Accessed 15 Mar. 2026.
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