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
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
-
Dano’s static line delivery gets used for a chilling but laconic effect as his character’s cunning political negotiations lead to deadly outcomes.—
Randy Myers,
Mercury News,
13 May 2026
-
There’s arguably no one better placed to collaborate with VFX artists on a motion-capture performance than Serkis, who’s delivered innocence, cunning, cruelty, longing, and kindness in roles that run from Golum to Caesar to King Kong himself.—
Sarah Shachat,
IndieWire,
4 May 2026
Noun
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This plotting started immediately after the election, the investigators found.—
Julia Vargas Jones,
CNN Money,
25 Nov. 2025
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The plotting becomes needlessly complicated at times, such as with Jack becoming a local hero after foiling a burglary, and later disgracing himself with a drunken tirade at a Christmas tree lighting ceremony, which leads to him being arrested and put on trial.—
Frank Scheck,
HollywoodReporter,
24 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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Catching feelings for her cute and reliable RA, Noel Crane (Scott Foley, making his second appearance on this list).—
Allison DeGrushe Published,
EW.com,
20 Aug. 2025
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However, Archie follows the high school hijinks of the cute Archie and his main squeezes, Veronica and Betty.—
Anthony D'Alessandro,
Deadline,
20 Aug. 2025
Noun
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The game will blend stealth and combat with the series’ irreverent dark humor.—
Natalie Oganesyan,
Deadline,
8 Dec. 2025
-
Designed purely for air dominance, the Raptor combines stealth, supercruise, thrust-vectoring, and advanced sensor fusion.—
Kaif Shaikh,
Interesting Engineering,
3 Dec. 2025
Adjective
-
Serena Williams opted to let Nike break the news about her pro tennis comeback at age 44 in two slick commercials.—
Steve Henson,
Los Angeles Times,
11 June 2026
-
Many of his posts about addiction evoke the slick faux-profundity of ChatGPT.—
Helen Lewis,
The Atlantic,
11 June 2026
Noun
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The West-Batula news fractured the cast due to secrecy and betrayals, and the fallout from the off-camera events has played out over an explosive three-part reunion that concluded last week.—
Jackie Strause,
HollywoodReporter,
15 June 2026
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Her Taurus moon also occupies her 12th house, an area of the birth chart associated with spirituality, secrecy and subconscious realms.—
Valerie Mesa,
PEOPLE,
15 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Scheming.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scheming. Accessed 18 Jun. 2026.
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