underhand 1 of 2

adjective

Definition of underhandnext
1
as in fraudulent
given to or marked by cheating and deception willing to stoop to underhand methods in order to win

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in clandestine
undertaken or done so as to escape being observed or known by others the congressman's underhand attempt to slip several pork barrel items into the bill

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

underhand

2 of 2

adverb

as in underhanded

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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 underhand
Adjective
The Bruins weren’t just tossing underhand lobs in the first period for the Sabres to jack out of the park. — Fluto Shinzawa, New York Times, 26 Apr. 2026 Hart slowed for an instant before charging off the mound, and Devers, who is no one’s idea of fast, beat out the underhand shovel from Gavin Sheets. — Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 1 Apr. 2026
Adverb
Each team will alternate tossing the bean bag underhand onto the board until all four bean bags are thrown. — Anthony Gharib, USA TODAY, 13 June 2023 Pitchers tossed underhand and no one wore gloves yet, resulting in smarting pain in the hands of catchers and first basemen. — Jeff Suess, The Enquirer, 29 Mar. 2023 See All Example Sentences for underhand
Recent Examples of Synonyms for underhand
  1. fraudulent
  2. clandestine
  3. deceptive
  4. covert
  5. shady
  6. undercover
  7. crooked
  8. underground
Adjective
  • Prosecutors allege the crew printed fraudulent UPS labels to reroute boxes nationwide.
    — Glenn Taylor, Footwear News, 8 Oct. 2026
  • Rush’s fraudulent conduct cost the federal government approximately $194 million in total losses, according to the Justice Department.
    — Michael Kunzelman, Los Angeles Times, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of fraudulent
Adjective
  • Bridgers’ tour restricts phones, so the reader’s account had to stand in for the clandestine photo that might otherwise have accompanied the sighting.
    — Jeff Ihaza, Rolling Stone, 6 Oct. 2026
  • The Soviet Union operated an extensive clandestine biological weapons program despite being a party to the Biological Weapons Convention.
    — Krutika Kuppalli, STAT, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of clandestine
Adjective
  • In past elections, deceptive political robocalls have resulted in significant fines associated with the Telephone Consumer Protection Act, the federal law at the center of the petition.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 7 Oct. 2026
  • The film chronicled Gortner’s youth as a Pentecostal preacher in the American South and exposed the deceptive practices used to bilk believers out of their money.
    — Greg Evans, Deadline, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of deceptive
Adjective
  • There has been serious buzz recently about the film series focused on the United States conducting covert actions against drug cartels.
    — David Hookstead OutKick, FOXNews.com, 6 Oct. 2026
  • Flashbacks to recent events reveal that the townspeople never let Hal find peace, and even firebombed his home, only for a grown-up Noah — Kerry’s son, and Zoe’s grandson — to save him and regenerate his skin using Zoe’s covert alien tech.
    — Siddhant Adlakha, Vulture, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of covert
Adjective
  • The extensive wellness area is built into the rocks with a series of open-air mezzanines, treatment rooms, shady sea-viewing spots and plunge pools.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 8 Oct. 2026
  • Aside from Anderson, Paz and Méndez have moments of raw emotion in their scenes together, but Affleck and Washington never generate much heat, while Yeun mostly stands around looking shady.
    — David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of shady
Adjective
  • Some of us live in Chicago and are well aware of the lore of the Mirage Tavern, a real bar that undercover reporters operated in the 1970s to expose corruption in the city.
    — Jodi S. Cohen, ProPublica, 5 Oct. 2026
  • Investigators also said Ellaboudy advised an undercover FBI confidential human source posing as a representative of a Houthi colonel.
    — Emma Bussey, FOXNews.com, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of undercover
Adjective
  • Others convicted in relation to the robbery included Brian Reader, a career criminal who was involved in other high-profile robberies before and after Brink’s-Mat, crooked solicitor Michael Relton, and McAvoy’s wife, Kathleen.
    — Frannie Comstock, Encyclopedia Britannica, 9 Oct. 2026
  • For now, the crooked finger stays, and so does the jumper that comes with it.
    — Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of crooked
Adjective
  • The dehumanization of Black people represented by the persistence of Confederate iconography in mainstream culture became an underground signifier of the precariousness of the freedoms enshrined by the 14th Amendment.
    — Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 10 Oct. 2026
  • Much has been written about the sprawling compounds of tech titans like Mark Zuckerberg, whose 1,400-acre Kauai property includes plans for a 5,000-square-foot underground shelter.
    — Megan Buerger, Washington Post, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of underground

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Cite this Entry

“Underhand.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/underhand. Accessed 13 Oct. 2026.

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