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
There are many reasons beyond cheating and skulduggery that someone might root or modify their Android device.
—
Kevin Purdy, Ars Technica, 30 July 2024
And so the tale of how the Giants established themselves at the Polo Grounds is told, accurately enough, as a piece of complicated capitalist skulduggery in which the team’s desperate owner bought a controlling interest in the Baltimore Orioles and then dragged its stars north.
—Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 25 Mar. 2024
Schiff’s skulduggery was unfortunate but totally rational under the current system.
—David Daley, The Mercury News, 14 Mar. 2024
This one went smoothly — no claims of rampant rigging, no significant taint of skulduggery — due in large part to the defeat of deepfakes, democracy’s newest enemy.
—Michael Rogers, Twin Cities, 14 Jan. 2024
See All Example Sentences for skulduggery
Kevin Purdy, Ars Technica, 30 July 2024
And so the tale of how the Giants established themselves at the Polo Grounds is told, accurately enough, as a piece of complicated capitalist skulduggery in which the team’s desperate owner bought a controlling interest in the Baltimore Orioles and then dragged its stars north.
—Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 25 Mar. 2024
Schiff’s skulduggery was unfortunate but totally rational under the current system.
—David Daley, The Mercury News, 14 Mar. 2024
This one went smoothly — no claims of rampant rigging, no significant taint of skulduggery — due in large part to the defeat of deepfakes, democracy’s newest enemy.
—Michael Rogers, Twin Cities, 14 Jan. 2024
See All Example Sentences for skulduggery
Recent Examples of Synonyms for skulduggery
Noun
-
This stylization gives her a veneer of being disarmingly kind; but ultimately, is a form of deception that caused Sophie to fatally trust this person.—
Tiffany Leigh,
Forbes.com,
25 June 2025
-
Codenamed Operation Midnight Hammer, the overnight mission relied on deception, aerial refueling, and near-total radio silence to hit Iran's Fordo and Natanz enrichment facilities—sites that had withstood weeks of sustained Israeli attacks.—
Jesus Mesa,
MSNBC Newsweek,
23 June 2025
Noun
-
Despite the chicanery, this is a solid deal for a phone that isn’t wildly different from the Pixel 9.—
Janhoi McGregor,
Forbes.com,
7 June 2025
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Given the lawfare that tracks the uncertainty of our moral foundation, Henry Johnson is more pertinent than Oleanna, Mamet’s prophesy of the chicanery in the Me Too movement.—
Armond White,
National Review,
14 May 2025
Noun
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When the magazine writer Dylan (Daryl Wein) and his girlfriend and photographer, Lucy (Abigail Cowen), descend upon the rocker Milo (Jack Farthing), there’s subterfuge afoot.—
Lisa Kennedy,
New York Times,
1 May 2025
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The only safe refuge, 20 miles away, is the federal garrison at Harpers Ferry, but reaching it will require much subterfuge and even more luck.—
Alida Becker,
New York Times,
30 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
In a nod to Chicago’s long history of bartender magicians, bars will be set up as much for trickery as for cocktails.—
Chris Jones,
Chicago Tribune,
15 May 2025
-
Medicaid fraud patterns continue to proliferate, escaping the notice of human workers doing their best to spot such trickery.—
Michael Ashley,
Forbes.com,
11 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
He’s arguably been Florida’s best player in this Stanley Cup Final run, scoring 15 goals through 22 games, on top of his usual gamesmanship and physical antics.—
Harman Dayal,
New York Times,
15 June 2025
-
Mike McCabe, the veteran gaming industry executive who heads the EWC Foundation, explained how gamesmanship would influence every aspect of the event.—
Nabih Bulos,
Los Angeles Times,
9 June 2025
Noun
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It’s also shown a bit of cleverness and guile, which, yes, is a very good thing, indeed.—
The Editors,
National Review,
16 June 2025
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Smalls displayed his guile and courage in the midst of chattel slavery and the Civil War.—
Ken Makin,
Christian Science Monitor,
10 June 2025
Noun
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Between April 1 and 7, the fair gathered 60 brands at the Palexpo exhibition center that broke new records, showcased world premieres and offered an ever-growing array of technical and artistic legerdemain in their latest high-end timepieces.—
Lily Templeton,
Footwear News,
17 Apr. 2025
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Congressional legerdemain can’t wave away that reality.—
Howard Gleckman,
Forbes,
4 Dec. 2024
Cite this Entry
“Skulduggery.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/skulduggery. Accessed 1 Jul. 2025.
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