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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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
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
  • Brazil's Supreme Court is investigating claims that Bolsonaro used a sports betting company to launder fraudulent deductions from government pensions paid to senior citizens.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 29 Oct. 2026
  • Verify the breach notification before responding Scammers frequently use real data breaches as an excuse to send fraudulent emails.
    — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 29 Oct. 2026
Definition of fraudulent
Adjective
  • There was something sad in our meetups always having to be clandestine.
    — Erica Garza, Los Angeles Times, 30 Oct. 2026
  • The arrest, the official explained, came after the Attorney General’s Office concluded that there had been misconduct in an April operation in which state officials dismantled a clandestine drug-manufacturing laboratory.
    — Mauricio Torres, CNN Money, 18 Oct. 2026
Definition of clandestine
Adjective
  • Supporters say licensing will give California the authority to act on any complaints, and to investigate and penalize companies for unfair or deceptive practices.
    — Audrey McGlinchy, Los Angeles Times, 28 Oct. 2026
  • Esparza pushed back against the claim that the group was being deceptive.
    — Stephen Hobbs, Sacbee.com, 27 Oct. 2026
Definition of deceptive
Adjective
  • Anthropic also wants to investigate covert misalignment, where models conceal their intentions instead of openly displaying concerning behavior.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 31 Oct. 2026
  • Tehran denies involvement, but the incident raises the prospect of covert operations against American military assets beyond the Middle East.
    — Hamidreza Azizi, Time, 27 Oct. 2026
Definition of covert
Adjective
  • Both about power-mad blondes getting involved with the shadier side of the medical industrial complex, but Matt Hagen’s nanites worked, dammit!
    — Bethy Squires, Vulture, 25 Oct. 2026
  • Many shady electronics companies are happy to sell you the wrong component for the wrong price.
    — Tim Stevens, ArsTechnica, 19 Oct. 2026
Definition of shady
Adjective
  • An unverified Snapchat message, which students in France claim was written by an undercover police officer, has become the slogan of student protests.
    — Joseph Ataman, CNN Money, 24 Oct. 2026
  • From that moment on, Liang went all-in on becoming the beloved fighter, putting herself through an intense physical transformation to embody the undercover Interpol agent.
    — Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of undercover
Adjective
  • Serpentine is set in a seemingly quiet New England town where organized crime, crooked cops, buried secrets and the intensely competitive world of figure skating begin to collide.
    — Matt Grobar, Deadline, 27 Oct. 2026
  • New York — Down a dim, crooked hallway inside the Jay Street Lofts, a hulking brick relic of Brooklyn’s industrial past, Naomi Mishkin is conducting a radical fashion experiment.
    — Allison Morrow, CNN Money, 24 Oct. 2026
Definition of crooked
Adjective
  • The Finnish Government has granted Posiva Oy an operating license for the world’s first permanent underground repository for spent nuclear fuel.
    — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 23 Oct. 2026
  • Part of what a racist superstructure creates is the need for some kind of underground economy.
    — Jasmine Vojdani, Vulture, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of underground

Browse Nearby Words

undergrowths
underhand
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Cite this Entry

“Underhand.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/underhand. Accessed 3 Nov. 2026.

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