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
Relevance
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
as in underhanded
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
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
Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 24 Nov. 2025
The inmate seems to show his butt to the group one more time, and did an underhand slapping motion.
—Gillian Stawiszynski, Cincinnati Enquirer, 21 Nov. 2025
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
Adjective
Humans were seen tossing balls underhand or stepping up to test batting responses.
—Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 24 Nov. 2025
The inmate seems to show his butt to the group one more time, and did an underhand slapping motion.
—Gillian Stawiszynski, Cincinnati Enquirer, 21 Nov. 2025
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
Adjective
-
Holmes fashioned herself as the next Steve Jobs, until a reporter at the Wall Street Journal blew the lid off Theranos' fraudulent claims of developing a state-of-the-art medical test that required only a single drop of blood to accurately detect results like glucose levels and cancer.—
James Mercadante,
Entertainment Weekly,
4 June 2026
-
The Justice Department alleges the two businesses submitted fraudulent claims for services that were never rendered.—
Luke Barr,
ABC News,
4 June 2026
Adjective
-
That similarly clandestine spot is tucked in the mail sorting room of Hotel Phillips downtown.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
29 May 2026
-
Nicknamed Zvezdny Gorodok, or Star City/Starry Town, this clandestine base of operations was built beside the Tsiolkovskaya railway station served by the Yaroslavl Railroad.—
Jeff Spry,
Space.com,
27 May 2026
Adjective
-
This isn’t an easy history to tell since obfuscation, confusion, and deceptive hype are its central themes.—
Jonathan Odden,
Artforum,
2 June 2026
-
Owens also challenged the ballot title and summary as deceptive.—
Jack Harvel
June 2,
Kansas City Star,
2 June 2026
Adjective
-
In mid-January, as Iran crushed wide-scale protests with the mass killing of demonstrators, Israel prepared a covert mission along the Azerbaijan-Iran border, two of the sources familiar with the plans told CNN.—
Tal Shalev,
CNN Money,
5 June 2026
-
The facility's revelation came less than two years after North Korea unveiled another covert uranium-enrichment plant in September 2024, in its first public disclosure of such a facility since showing one at the country's main Yongbyon nuclear complex to visiting American scholars in 2010.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
4 June 2026
Adjective
-
As your seedlings start to grow, trim each pot down to one seedling before exposing them to the outdoor environment in a shady spot for a few hours everyday for at least a week.—
Ashlyn Needham,
Southern Living,
2 June 2026
-
Matsui campaign strategist Roger Salazar clapped back against the allegations of shady PAC spending Friday, pointing to super PAC spending on Vang’s behalf.—
Jennah Pendleton,
Sacbee.com,
1 June 2026
Adjective
-
Get Ready: Katy Perry Has Released a Sneak Peek of Her New Song And the internet has receipts.—
Mehera Bonner,
Marie Claire,
15 Mar. 2017
Adjective
-
The set design is intricate and distorted—visible paintbrush strokes, acute angles, crooked lines—lending the film a surreal quality and supporting its cast of expressive actors, exaggerated costuming, and eerie makeup.—
Air Mail,
Air Mail,
30 May 2026
-
Falter struggled, but he also wasn’t helped by a replay review that helped the Yankees put up a crooked number in the first inning.—
Pete Grathoff,
Kansas City Star,
27 May 2026
Adjective
-
Comeaux also said undercover officers would focus on drug enforcement.—
Matthew Ablon,
CBS News,
1 June 2026
-
The Washington Nationals are in full damage control after an undercover journalist with the O’Keefe Media Group caught now former Director of Community Relations Sean Hudson claiming to be religiously discriminating against Catholic starting pitcher Trevor Williams.—
Jon Root OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
30 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Underhand.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/underhand. Accessed 8 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
