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
-
One is inclined to ask how much chicanery, deceit, deception and outright lying one must absorb before ending one’s allegiance to that party.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
2 June 2025
-
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
Noun
-
The facility had been subject to sabotage and subterfuge by Israel for many years even before these attacks–including a computer virus that wrecked the centrifuges over a decade ago.—
Geoff Brumfiel,
NPR,
26 June 2025
-
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
Noun
-
That trickery only works when the players understand the layers of the system on a detailed level.—
Sam McDowell,
Kansas City Star,
21 June 2025
-
This trickery is a cost-saving measure in that the orchid does not have to manufacture nectar or prodigious amounts of expensive pollen.—
The San Diego Union Tribune,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
14 June 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
-
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
-
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
-
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 5 Jul. 2025.
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