variants
or skullduggery
as in deception
the use of clever underhanded actions to achieve an end
the company's apparently healthy bottom line was merely an illusion, the result of years of accounting skulduggery
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of skulduggery
The American people are seeking solace and inspiration from its leaders, not pettiness and skullduggery.
—
Chicago Tribune, 10 Aug. 2025
The Poetry Society becomes the Autobiographical Association, whose ridiculous members write their memoirs under the supervision of the director, a snooty character clearly conniving to use their confessions for some sort of skulduggery.
—Judith Shulevitz, The Atlantic, 10 Aug. 2025
Modern network security naturally aims to prevent this kind of skullduggery.
—PC Magazine, 7 Aug. 2025
From encounters with mermaids, the devil and even Robin Hood to themes of superstition and skulduggery, these short tales are perfect escapism to dip in and out of during your summer vacation.
—Newsweek Staff, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for skulduggery
Chicago Tribune, 10 Aug. 2025
The Poetry Society becomes the Autobiographical Association, whose ridiculous members write their memoirs under the supervision of the director, a snooty character clearly conniving to use their confessions for some sort of skulduggery.
—Judith Shulevitz, The Atlantic, 10 Aug. 2025
Modern network security naturally aims to prevent this kind of skullduggery.
—PC Magazine, 7 Aug. 2025
From encounters with mermaids, the devil and even Robin Hood to themes of superstition and skulduggery, these short tales are perfect escapism to dip in and out of during your summer vacation.
—Newsweek Staff, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for skulduggery
Recent Examples of Synonyms for skulduggery
Noun
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McCoy is charged with theft by deception, violation of oath of office, and three counts of false statements and writings.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
7 Jan. 2026
-
Harper got fired for the aforementioned deception.—
Alison Herman,
Variety,
6 Jan. 2026
Noun
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With season 4 rapidly approaching, now's the time to prepare for the treachery to come.—
Randall Colburn,
Entertainment Weekly,
22 Dec. 2025
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Instead of being killed, Ashur takes Spartacus’ life and is consequently rewarded for his treachery by the Roman Empire.—
Aramide Tinubu,
Variety,
1 Dec. 2025
Noun
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The tale away from the playing field in recent years has been dizzying, one of soaring costs and debts, of quirks and chicanery unseen elsewhere.—
Chris Weatherspoon,
New York Times,
3 Nov. 2025
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Another recurring feature of the biggest asset booms is outright chicanery, such as fraudulent accounting, the marketing of worthless securities, and plain old stealing.—
John Cassidy,
New Yorker,
13 Oct. 2025
Noun
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The story then unfolded through the subterfuge of the princess and the care of Morton.—
Simon Perry,
PEOPLE,
28 Oct. 2025
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Unlike the confrontational drudgery of couples therapy — and aiming to avoid the confrontational finality of divorce — this approach relies on subterfuge.—
Sheri Linden,
HollywoodReporter,
23 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Of course, many Americans vote early and have since the COVID-19 crisis, so his fearmongering about Election Day trickery is pointless.—
Paul Bedard,
The Washington Examiner,
15 Dec. 2025
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The stunt aims to confirm the robot’s physical capabilities and counter claims of digital trickery, marking an unusual strategy in a sector where technical specifications typically serve as proof.—
Jijo Malayil,
Interesting Engineering,
8 Dec. 2025
Noun
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Of course, the retort is that this would be irritating and exasperating to be continually deluged with alerts about AI deceptiveness.—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes.com,
24 Aug. 2025
Noun
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Something more and something extra in no small part because of Stewart, whose senses of showmanship and gamesmanship animated and fueled the rivalry for so long.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
6 Dec. 2025
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This would not be a new phenomenon—Billboards’ digital sales have been a target for manipulation for several years now, forcing the company to make several tweaks to tamp down on gamesmanship.—
Andrew R. Chow,
Time,
14 Nov. 2025
Noun
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Cruz also pressed his Democratic colleagues to join a bipartisan request for the DOJ to turn over the evidentiary basis for the subpoenas, arguing transparency was necessary to assess whether the secrecy orders were justified.—
Kaelan Deese,
The Washington Examiner,
8 Jan. 2026
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For years, Maryland’s sprawling nonprofit sector has operated behind a veil of secrecy that state leaders praise publicly but struggle to explain under scrutiny.—
Gary Collins,
Baltimore Sun,
8 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Skulduggery.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/skulduggery. Accessed 11 Jan. 2026.
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