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
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of skulduggery
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
There was much more to it than that, including some skullduggery along the way.
—Kansas City Star, 22 Dec. 2025
The music industry is a notoriously cutthroat business, rife with tales of backstabbing and skullduggery.
—Philip Sherburne, Pitchfork, 16 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for skulduggery
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
There was much more to it than that, including some skullduggery along the way.
—Kansas City Star, 22 Dec. 2025
The music industry is a notoriously cutthroat business, rife with tales of backstabbing and skullduggery.
—Philip Sherburne, Pitchfork, 16 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for skulduggery
Recent Examples of Synonyms for skulduggery
Noun
-
At the same time, the CIA mounted a deception operation to mislead Iranians who also were trying to find him.—
Jonathan J. Cooper,
Los Angeles Times,
7 Apr. 2026
-
As an investigation unfolds, one small lie grows into a web of deception that begins to affect her work, her family, and her sense of self.—
Georg Szalai,
HollywoodReporter,
7 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Inflamed by Ratansen’s adviser’s account of Padmavati’s beauty, Alauddin Khalji storms the fortress by treachery rather than valor.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
9 Apr. 2026
-
But Bateman's treachery also had a distinctly silly side.—
Ryan Coleman,
Entertainment Weekly,
8 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
In light of the chicanery that happens in the episode, the phrase also suggests a bit of victim-blaming for the harvesting of personal data.—
Scott Tobias,
Vulture,
12 Apr. 2026
-
This sort of chicanery is rare, but revealing.—
George Liebmann,
Baltimore Sun,
11 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The trio went to great lengths to perpetrate the subterfuge, the indictment claims, including using hair dryers to remove packaging labels that were then reaffixed to thousands of fake replica servers.—
Amanda Gerut,
Fortune,
7 Apr. 2026
-
Early Jewish interpreters also struggled with the fact that Rebekah’s favoritism toward Jacob and her insistence upon his subterfuge nevertheless align with God’s plan.—
Charles Preston,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
13 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The sets and cinematic trickery of the scenes between regular-size humans and their 6-in.—
Rebecca Aizin,
PEOPLE,
10 Apr. 2026
-
West said Eisner was particularly delighted with the stage trickery that allowed a child actor to be seen as Chip, a teacup.—
Christopher Arnott,
Hartford Courant,
5 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
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
-
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
-
Maybe Brown kept the pick-and-rolls, the dribble hand-offs, the give-and-go actions tucked as a form of gamesmanship so as to not tip his hand entering the playoffs.—
Kristian Winfield,
New York Daily News,
10 Apr. 2026
-
Eastern New Mexico residents harbor legitimate grievances about feeling estranged from their state government and the Democratic leadership in Santa Fe, suggesting the underlying regional sentiment reflects authentic frustration with political representation rather than mere partisan gamesmanship.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
8 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Such spending flourishes in secrecy, and this year’s artificial rush toward a last-minute deal suggests that more giveaways are coming.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
11 Apr. 2026
-
And so a small crop of AI infrastructure firms has sprung up to solve what amounts to AI’s secrecy problem.—
Erik German,
Fortune,
11 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Skulduggery.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/skulduggery. Accessed 14 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
