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
Relevance
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
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of scheming
Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 7 Feb. 2025
Many viewed him as being manipulated by his scheming mother, dowager Queen Frederica.
—Demetris Nellas, BostonGlobe.com, 10 Jan. 2023
Taylor Ardrey, USA Today, 15 May 2026
There’s blackmail, scheming, and, of course, a plot for murder.
—Amy Reyes
may 14, Miami Herald, 14 May 2026
Alex Apatoff, PEOPLE, 23 May 2026
Supposedly, then, Alamo’s crew does know something is up with Rue and is scheming to keep her in check.
—Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 18 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for scheming
Adjective
The doors that slam, as farcical doors are built to do, open to work spaces, where a good deal of time is spent scheming and counter-scheming.
—Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 7 Feb. 2025
Many viewed him as being manipulated by his scheming mother, dowager Queen Frederica.
—Demetris Nellas, BostonGlobe.com, 10 Jan. 2023
Noun
Off the heels of a miscarriage, Coltrane and his wife dream of a normal life outside of their undercover thieving and scheming.
—Taylor Ardrey, USA Today, 15 May 2026
There’s blackmail, scheming, and, of course, a plot for murder.
—Amy Reyes
may 14, Miami Herald, 14 May 2026
Verb
Her character was scheming, glamorous, sinister and witty, and the show was a huge success for all of the 1980s.
—Alex Apatoff, PEOPLE, 23 May 2026
Supposedly, then, Alamo’s crew does know something is up with Rue and is scheming to keep her in check.
—Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 18 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for scheming
Recent Examples of Synonyms for scheming
Adjective
-
Goodman aims to be a cunning thief.—
Bennett Durando,
Denver Post,
7 June 2026
-
What could be more cunning and disgusting than training dogs to commit anal rape?—
David Frum,
The Atlantic,
21 May 2026
Noun
-
The length exacerbates all the rest of the series' sins, including a lack of emotional depth, gratuitous suffering and violence, long stretches of boring, listless plotting and extraneous characters.—
Kelly Lawler,
USA Today,
4 June 2026
-
Which was widely panned for its unrealistic plot, laughable dialogue, and inexplicable plotting.—
Ian Miller OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
2 June 2026
Adjective
-
Everyone loves the idea of packing cute sandals for a summer Europe trip, until they’re covered in blisters halfway through the day and begging to call a taxi.—
Rosie Marder,
Travel + Leisure,
13 June 2026
-
So, naturally, PEOPLE reached out to get all the details about their new pals, along with some exclusive, shamelessly cute photos of them all.—
Breanne L. Heldman,
PEOPLE,
13 June 2026
Noun
-
Because modern warplanes put a premium on stealth, internal weapon bays are preferred to reduce radar signatures, but opening the bays for launching creates a high-speed aerodynamic cavity.—
David Szondy
June 04,
New Atlas,
4 June 2026
-
The Oura Ring 4 is still available in select finishes, starting at $349 for the silver and stealth models (the latter previously cost $399).—
Andrew Gebhart,
PC Magazine,
4 June 2026
Adjective
-
In its first international friendly since March, the US showed off slick offense in a 3-2 win over Senegal in Charlotte, North Carolina, on May 31.—
Jim Sciutto,
CNN Money,
8 June 2026
-
Short-and-sweet patent pieces from Christian Siriano and Ferrari had a distinctly slick shine, while at Kate Barton, satin organza gave her flirty designs a glassy glint.—
InStyle,
InStyle,
7 June 2026
Noun
-
Leo simultaneously defends the secrecy of confession as religious freedom, despite critics calling it an abuse shield, and sidesteps a meeting with ex-Opus Dei members amid Argentine investigations.—
Suman Naishadham,
Los Angeles Times,
8 June 2026
-
The end of the state legislative session in Albany reveals that once again secrecy and opacity were the norm as the public business was conducted out of sight from the public.—
New York Daily News Editorial Board,
New York Daily News,
8 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Scheming.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scheming. Accessed 15 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
