1
as in fraudulent
given to or marked by cheating and deception
willing to stoop to underhand methods in order to win
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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
as in underhanded
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Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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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
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If a fraudulent provider is uncooperative, unreachable, or no longer operating, the beneficiary may remain reflected in Medicare systems as if an active hospice election still exists.—
Wes Kilgore,
Forbes.com,
11 June 2026
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Some financial institutions may be able to reverse charges or flag fraudulent activity if reported quickly.—
Tiffani Jackson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
11 June 2026
Adjective
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Some may be announced publicly; others may happen in more clandestine ways.—
Eben Novy-Williams,
Sportico.com,
10 June 2026
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But clandestine flows aren’t the biggest factor behind the market calm.—
Matt Egan,
CNN Money,
9 June 2026
Adjective
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The deceptive piece is the marketing.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
8 June 2026
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Manaea’s delivery is deceptive because there is crossfire action from a low slot.—
Will Sammon,
New York Times,
5 June 2026
Adjective
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The film follows cybersecurity expert Daniel Kellner (Josh O’Connor), who lifts secret files about the existence of aliens from Wardex, a covert non-government organization that used to employ him.—
Tim Lammers,
Forbes.com,
13 June 2026
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The investigation also linked the activity to China based on IP addresses associated with a LinkedIn account and a Gmail account tied to the covert recruitment scheme.—
Michael Kan,
PC Magazine,
10 June 2026
Adjective
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An ex-con cybersecurity expert, Daniel is among a group of whistleblowers from the shady agency WARDEX who nabbed evidence of a massive, nearly 80-year cover-up that, if revealed, would be a turning point for civilization.—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
9 June 2026
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Fleas thrive in damp, shady areas, so think about removing piles of leaves or debris from your yard or garden.—
Emily Hayes,
Martha Stewart,
9 June 2026
Adjective
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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
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Trump walks out on Kristen Welker after calling NBC 'crooked' in fiery clash.—
,
FOXNews.com,
8 June 2026
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From there, Cicket’s life is a crooked line.—
Marc Weingarten,
Los Angeles Times,
8 June 2026
Adjective
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His most recent conviction resulted from a 2018 case when authorities said he was shot after ramming multiple Fremont undercover police cars, as officers tried to arrest him in a string of car burglaries across the Bay Area.—
Harry Harris,
Mercury News,
8 June 2026
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Years earlier, in 2001, the undercover detective involved claimed her career had been ruined by the case, and received around $166,000 in an out-of-court settlement, per the BBC.—
Caroline Blair,
PEOPLE,
7 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Underhand.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/underhand. Accessed 15 Jun. 2026.
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