as in deception
the use of clever underhanded actions to achieve an end
propagandists who use a kind of photographic subterfuge, superimposing one image on another to create a false "reality"
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of subterfuge
Other times, the responsible parties engage in active subterfuge.
—
Sarah Stillman, New Yorker, 14 Apr. 2025
His delivery of Mantel’s dialogue—modern, intelligent, bristling with implication and subterfuge—is mesmerizingly clear.
—Taylor Antrim, Vogue, 20 Mar. 2025
With a bit of guidance, navigating between the classic go-to’s and the newer dining options are scattered throughout the properties can lead to incredible culinary discoveries, plenty of popping champagne bottles and even a dash of historical subterfuge.
—Alissa Fitzgerald, Forbes, 22 Feb. 2025
This sequence introduces The Agency as a maze of contradictory nationalist motivations, paranoia-inducing surveillance, and prevalent subterfuge — and, in its hidden center, a love story.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 24 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for subterfuge
Sarah Stillman, New Yorker, 14 Apr. 2025
His delivery of Mantel’s dialogue—modern, intelligent, bristling with implication and subterfuge—is mesmerizingly clear.
—Taylor Antrim, Vogue, 20 Mar. 2025
With a bit of guidance, navigating between the classic go-to’s and the newer dining options are scattered throughout the properties can lead to incredible culinary discoveries, plenty of popping champagne bottles and even a dash of historical subterfuge.
—Alissa Fitzgerald, Forbes, 22 Feb. 2025
This sequence introduces The Agency as a maze of contradictory nationalist motivations, paranoia-inducing surveillance, and prevalent subterfuge — and, in its hidden center, a love story.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 24 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for subterfuge
Recent Examples of Synonyms for subterfuge
Noun
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Through shocking testimonies from government insiders, confidential documents, and private audio recordings from the highest level of the military, BODYGUARD OF LIES exposes the tangled web of deception fed to the American public by the U.S. government during its 20-year war in Afghanistan.—
Matthew Carey,
Deadline,
7 May 2025
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Mauriello, a senior lecturer at the University of Maryland, said in his experience, people's sympathetic nervous system could be activated by a host of reasons — beyond deception.—
Juliana Kim,
NPR,
30 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Press play below to learn more about Wells’ treachery, and to get a sneak peek at the fugitive interacting with her latest target.—
Matt Webb Mitovich,
TVLine,
7 Apr. 2025
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Sinners is one of the great vampire movies of the modern age, mining the legend of these perpetual outsiders who desperately yearn to belong, but whose silky promises are rooted in treachery.—
Stephanie Zacharek,
Time,
29 Apr. 2025
Noun
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But Scott has the power of love on his side (though the power of self-respect would serve him better) and, like many an underdog, relies more on clever trickery than physical prowess to win most of the battles.—
EW Staff,
EW.com,
3 Apr. 2025
-
The ability to render the real world using charcoal is utter trickery.—
Emily Wilson,
New York Times,
25 Apr. 2025
Noun
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While shocking nonprofit chicanery has found itself in the media spotlight, the story of one West Texas charity deserves to be told and to inspire.—
Jack Fowler,
National Review,
7 Apr. 2025
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The more processes and services a security tool contains, the more opportunities for such chicanery.—
PCMAG,
PCMAG,
4 Mar. 2025
Noun
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Contract disputes, regulatory delays and political gamesmanship have choked off investment in transmission and generation.—
Dan Eberhart,
Forbes.com,
19 Apr. 2025
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Or maybe — just maybe — there’s some gamesmanship at play.—
Kristian Winfield,
New York Daily News,
10 Apr. 2025
Noun
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This year the skulduggery began early and has been raging for week.—
Tim Spiers,
New York Times,
12 Apr. 2025
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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
Noun
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When taken to court for this, following an investigation into their church, the Jehovah's Witnesses likened their approach to secrecy to Catholic confession.—
Sophie Clark,
MSNBC Newsweek,
9 May 2025
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The business of sports often is cloaked in secrecy.—
Bill Shaikin,
Los Angeles Times,
8 May 2025
Noun
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Neither his fearsome resolve nor his supreme cunning—which had enabled him to vanquish his rivals and spiritually crush his inner circle—was in evidence in 1941.—
Stephen Kotkin,
Foreign Affairs,
19 Sep. 2017
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Despite being outnumbered 50-to-1 by the Five Families of the Italian mafia, the Westies’ legendary brutality and cunning have given them the leverage necessary to share the spoils through a fragile détente.—
Nellie Andreeva,
Deadline,
18 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Subterfuge.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/subterfuge. Accessed 22 May. 2025.
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