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 governor’s office offered no explanation for its skullduggery.
—
Kevin Rennie, Hartford Courant, 7 Mar. 2026
Soprano Nicole Car’s initially elegant Elizabeth accumulates both physical and vocal intensity as the opera exposes more and more skulduggery around her.
—Scott Cantrell, Dallas Morning News, 28 Feb. 2026
But this week social media posts began to surface alleging the firm was engaged in skullduggery.
—Jeff John Roberts, Fortune, 26 Feb. 2026
The outcome of the family’s skulduggery, revealed over the end credits, should be a lip-smacking wicked delight.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 14 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for skulduggery
Kevin Rennie, Hartford Courant, 7 Mar. 2026
Soprano Nicole Car’s initially elegant Elizabeth accumulates both physical and vocal intensity as the opera exposes more and more skulduggery around her.
—Scott Cantrell, Dallas Morning News, 28 Feb. 2026
But this week social media posts began to surface alleging the firm was engaged in skullduggery.
—Jeff John Roberts, Fortune, 26 Feb. 2026
The outcome of the family’s skulduggery, revealed over the end credits, should be a lip-smacking wicked delight.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 14 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for skulduggery
Recent Examples of Synonyms for skulduggery
Noun
-
So, that's a kind of deception.—
Dana Taylor,
USA Today,
23 June 2026
-
The county argues the grand jury fundamentally misunderstood what happened before the explosion, saying its investigation relied on speculation instead of evidence and wrongly blamed county officials for a criminal enterprise prosecutors say was built on years of deception.—
Daniel Lempres,
Sacbee.com,
23 June 2026
Noun
-
Peacock’s adventures in treachery The Traitors was the top dog, scoring five prizes including Best Competition Series and Best Host for Alan Cumming.—
Erik Pedersen,
Deadline,
3 June 2026
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Upon learning of Ava’s treachery, Deborah HOWLS.—
Jessica M. Goldstein,
Vulture,
1 May 2026
Noun
-
There’s a tremendous amount of financial chicanery that goes on in 2026.—
Chris Murphy,
Vanity Fair,
11 June 2026
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Not many people, however, concluded that financial chicanery at executive level should be used as a stick with which to beat the players and coaches who had won those trophies over the years in question.—
Oliver Kay,
New York Times,
21 May 2026
Noun
-
There is a long history of subterfuge at World Cups — a long history of sharing injury information that isn’t exactly transparent or even accurate.—
Henry Bushnell,
New York Times,
17 June 2026
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If the Allies had had to postpone the invasion for the next moon-tide alignment later in the month, the subterfuge would have been exposed.—
Andrea Thompson,
Scientific American,
29 May 2026
Noun
-
Diomande can shift from zero to full throttle in seconds on either wing and beat players with raw pace, trickery or both, all with the ball stuck to his feet.—
James McNicholas,
New York Times,
9 June 2026
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But ultimately, Williams believes AI can be an extension of editing trickery that has existed since the dawn of filmmaking.—
Jake Kanter,
Deadline,
27 May 2026
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
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Beyond the deceptiveness of the narrow material view, spiritual light and hope are always present to be found and felt.—
Sue Brightman,
Christian Science Monitor,
3 Jan. 2025
Noun
-
Brown didn’t sound that crazy after Game 3, and certainly there was some of that old Pat Riley-Phil Jackson gamesmanship in his remarks, trying to get an extra whistle in Game 4.—
Ian O'Connor,
New York Times,
9 June 2026
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Gerry was not alone among the Founders in opposing such political gamesmanship.—
Frederic J. Fransen,
Boston Herald,
9 June 2026
Noun
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Though the plans are cloaked in secrecy, tabloids suggest something is set to happen on July 3 in New York, possibly something involving Madison Square Garden.—
Lisa Gutierrez,
Kansas City Star,
22 June 2026
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So, the path of least resistance is secrecy.—
Jake Kanter,
Deadline,
22 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Skulduggery.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/skulduggery. Accessed 24 Jun. 2026.
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