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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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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
Barry Levitt, Time, 4 Dec. 2025
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
Kevin Jacobsen, Entertainment Weekly, 28 Dec. 2025
Elko was calling plays this season, with Hemphill playing a major role in planning and scheming during the week and on game day.
—Tony Catalina, Austin American Statesman, 25 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
Constance’s scheming is beginning to cause her own undoing.
—Barry Levitt, Time, 4 Dec. 2025
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
Verb
But her scheming soon spirals out of control, leaving her to face the consequences of her actions.
—Kevin Jacobsen, Entertainment Weekly, 28 Dec. 2025
Elko was calling plays this season, with Hemphill playing a major role in planning and scheming during the week and on game day.
—Tony Catalina, Austin American Statesman, 25 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for scheming
Recent Examples of Synonyms for scheming
Adjective
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His initial rise to fame came from playing cunning and ruthless centuries-old vampire Eric Northman on True Blood.—
Shania Russell,
Entertainment Weekly,
25 Jan. 2026
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They’re built up to be these impossibly deadly and evil and cunning foes, and then our much less impressive heroes manage to take them down through grit and determination or just dumb luck.—
Erik Kain,
Forbes.com,
22 Jan. 2026
Noun
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But this is a romance show, and most of its recurring conflicts are romantic, so the rest of Bridgerton’s plotting has to be fairly frictionless to ensure that its depictions of love and lust are as dramatic as possible.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
30 Jan. 2026
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The plotting, Truist claims, began in August 2022 when Rocco, Lovell, and other Grandbridge employees allegedly met with Colliers executives to discuss working together, all without the knowledge of Truist or its head of commercial real estate.—
Charlotte Observer,
Charlotte Observer,
29 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Matching lounge sets meet all the criteria of a great one-and-done airport outfit — they’re made from soft material, don’t require outfit planning, and actually look cute.—
Emily Weaver,
PEOPLE,
31 Jan. 2026
-
Each heart has a little black outline of a heart inside of it, creating cute sketched vibes.—
Kara Jillian Brown,
InStyle,
31 Jan. 2026
Noun
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When Azalea came out of stealth this past November with $82 million in total funding, Yosemite was a key investor.—
Amy Feldman,
Forbes.com,
30 Jan. 2026
-
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
Adjective
-
Reviewers say the boots have a great grip, even on slick sidewalks, and love that the higher shaft helps block out splashes and snowbanks.—
Toni Sutton,
PEOPLE,
1 Feb. 2026
-
In this era of aridly slick technofuturist aesthetics, objects and images revealing their sutures and seams appear to be utterly alive.—
Theo Belci,
Artforum,
1 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Privacy is about agency, not secrecy Privacy isn’t about hiding.—
Tony Bradley,
Forbes.com,
26 Jan. 2026
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But the secrecy of a parent or grandparent can inflict its own potent wounds.—
Ruth Madievsky,
The Atlantic,
21 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Scheming.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scheming. Accessed 3 Feb. 2026.
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