SCHEMING Synonyms: 188 Similar and Opposite Words

scheming 1 of 3

adjective

ˈskē-miŋ

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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

scheming

2 of 3

noun

as in plotting

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Dissimilar Words

scheming

3 of 3

verb

present participle of scheme

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

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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

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

But who are the real monsters that need to be stopped — Mother and her children, or the scheming, self-serving Shaws? —

Lynsey Eidell, PEOPLE, 23 May 2026 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

Verb

Spaeny and Melton were cast as Ashley and Austin, a Gen-Z couple working at a Montecito country club, dreaming and scheming toward upward mobility, a good 18 months before filming began in early 2025. —

Glenn Whipp, Los Angeles Times, 27 May 2026 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 See All Example Sentences for scheming

Recent Examples of Synonyms for scheming

Adjective

Daemon is one of the most clever, cunning and conniving characters in House of the Dragon, who always seems to have the upper hand.

— Skyler Trepel, PEOPLE, 22 June 2026
Under this light, Penelope emerges as exemplary, cunning, wounded, and trapped by the male order that praises her.

— David Denby, New Yorker, 21 June 2026