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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of skulduggery
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
This year the skulduggery began early and has been raging for week.
—Tim Spiers, New York Times, 12 Apr. 2025
Obviously, such a system is rife with uncertainty, and the history of the process is full of skulduggery, both on the club and player side.
—Tony Blengino, Forbes, 13 Jan. 2025
Climax became the first ever vegan cheesemaker to win a prestigious Good Food award—though dairy complaints caused the prize to be rescinded at the last minute, with shades of the protectionist, legal skulduggery faced by non-dairy milk products.
—Andrew Rosenblum, Popular Science, 26 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for skulduggery
Newsweek Staff, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 May 2025
This year the skulduggery began early and has been raging for week.
—Tim Spiers, New York Times, 12 Apr. 2025
Obviously, such a system is rife with uncertainty, and the history of the process is full of skulduggery, both on the club and player side.
—Tony Blengino, Forbes, 13 Jan. 2025
Climax became the first ever vegan cheesemaker to win a prestigious Good Food award—though dairy complaints caused the prize to be rescinded at the last minute, with shades of the protectionist, legal skulduggery faced by non-dairy milk products.
—Andrew Rosenblum, Popular Science, 26 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for skulduggery
Recent Examples of Synonyms for skulduggery
Noun
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Everything can be used as a tool for good and to build, or for bad and destruction and deception.—
Marc Malkin,
Variety,
14 Oct. 2025
-
The question now is whether our ability to detect deception can evolve as fast as the tools that create it.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
13 Oct. 2025
Noun
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When Hamilton refused him legal help, Reynolds told all who would listen that the Treasury secretary had masterminded his financial chicanery.—
Jane Kamensky,
The Atlantic,
10 Oct. 2025
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Democrats have stood still for this chicanery every time it’s been tried in the past.—
Thomas Elias,
Mercury News,
16 Sep. 2025
Noun
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In the end, the subterfuge with Priester served merely as a subplot.—
Andy McCullough,
New York Times,
7 Oct. 2025
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The act of subterfuge was particularly common in the 2000s, amidst America’s unpopular foreign policy and the country’s invasion of Afghanistan and Iraq.—
Vivian Song,
CNN Money,
18 Sep. 2025
Noun
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And yet Broncos' run game and offensive trickery isn't working.—
Joe Nguyen,
Denver Post,
12 Oct. 2025
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Later on in the opening frame, the Knights extended their lead with some trickery.—
Brendan Connelly,
Boston Herald,
11 Oct. 2025
Noun
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But bringing in Leo Rivas was perfect gamesmanship The Mariners love to play matchup with their DH spot, seeking opportunities for Mitch Garver against lefties and Dom Canzone against righties.—
The Athletic MLB Staff,
New York Times,
11 Oct. 2025
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The tale of Rip Van Winkle is nested within various layers of storytelling, to a degree that can be confounding even for contemporary readers accustomed to such authorial gamesmanship.—
John Swansburg,
The Atlantic,
10 Oct. 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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There is a real seriousness to the score — the scheming bad-guy music has the artfulness of Prokofiev, and even the sneaking-around cues have musical integrity and structure.—
Tim Greiving,
Vulture,
3 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Creativity was sorely lacking last season, with the side mustering the lowest xG of any side to avoid relegation, but now an attacking midfield trident of Grealish, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and Iliman Ndiaye brims with promise and guile.—
Patrick Boyland,
New York Times,
15 Sep. 2025
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In between is a huge chessboard for honing skills of strategy and guile while catching a tan.—
Mark David,
Robb Report,
4 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Skulduggery.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/skulduggery. Accessed 18 Oct. 2025.
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