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
Pulling Exercises Resistance Band–Assisted Pull-Up Place one foot inside the band and grip the bar with an overhand or underhand grip, with your hands about shoulder-width apart. — Greg Presto, Outside, 7 Jan. 2026 Humans were seen tossing balls underhand or stepping up to test batting responses. — Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 24 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
  1. fraudulent
  2. clandestine
  3. deceptive
  4. covert
  5. shady
  6. sneak
  7. crooked
  8. undercover
Adjective
  • One plaintiff claimed their debit card was hit with $80 in fraudulent charges.
    — Chase Jordan July 7, Charlotte Observer, 7 July 2026
  • Anthropic published a report in February claiming other Chinese firms DeepSeek, Moonshot, and MiniMax generated 16 million exchanges with Claude through approximately 24,000 fraudulent accounts.
    — Harry Booth, Time, 7 July 2026
Definition of fraudulent
Adjective
  • That the actual, original Antifa formed in clandestine resistance to Nazi terror during the early 1930s appears lost amid the rhetorical vagaries of political propaganda.
    — Ara H. Merjian, ARTnews.com, 10 July 2026
  • Russia and China are seeking the capability to disable and eventually destroy Elon Musk’s Starlink satellite network, an investigation found, as the allies deepen their clandestine military cooperation.
    — Brendan Ruberry, semafor.com, 9 July 2026
Definition of clandestine
Adjective
  • The state agency said clinic staffers had clients sign a personal injury waiver, which the commission said was unenforceable, against public policy and deceptive and dishonest.
    — Ashley Hiruko, ProPublica, 8 July 2026
  • Bartůňková and Krejčíková share finesse in the front of the court as well as deceptive power, with Bartůňková’s excellent spot-serving giving her a platform and Krejčíková’s ability to change rhythm at will trying to destabilize it.
    — Ava Wallace, New York Times, 2 July 2026
Definition of deceptive
Adjective
  • Lioness stars Nicole Kidman, Zoe Saldaña, and Morgan Freeman, and follows an all-female CIA team known as the Lionesses, who conduct covert missions in the War on Terror.
    — Brianna Zigler, Entertainment Weekly, 7 July 2026
  • Since Russian President Vladimir Putin launched his full-scale invasion in 2022, following his covert invasions of Ukraine’s Crimean peninsula and eastern regions in 2014, Russian forces have captured roughly 12% of Ukraine’s territory.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 6 July 2026
Definition of covert
Adjective
  • Finally, the jury would be instructed that OpenAI deleted billions of logs, which would play into news plaintiffs’ narrative that OpenAI has been moving in shady ways to obscure alleged substitution in the market since the case began.
    — Ashley Belanger, ArsTechnica, 9 July 2026
  • Tiffany Haddish is reacting to the White House’s shady response to one of her Jimmy Kimmel Live punchlines.
    — Emlyn Travis, Entertainment Weekly, 9 July 2026
Definition of shady
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
Definition of sneak
Adjective
  • Trump even played to this history in appealing for Balogun’s reinstatement, implying (without evidence) that the referee who made the call was crooked.
    — David A. Graham, The Atlantic, 6 July 2026
  • Better known among seasoned riders as the Triple Nickel, the route makes for one of the most crooked roads in the Midwest, if not the country.
    — Condé Nast Traveler, Condé Nast Traveler, 2 July 2026
Definition of crooked
Adjective
  • Duties include developing operation plans and going undercover.
    — Sacbee.com, Sacbee.com, 7 July 2026
  • In exchange, one of the agents asked Lumumba to move the city’s deadline for the hotel project from April 30 to April 10 or 15, giving the undercover FBI agents an advantage over other developers.
    — Natalie Neysa Alund, USA Today, 6 July 2026
Definition of undercover

Browse Nearby Words

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Cite this Entry

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

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Nglish: Translation of underhand for Spanish Speakers

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