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underhanded

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adverb

Synonym Chooser

How is the word underhanded distinct from other similar adjectives?

Some common synonyms of underhanded are clandestine, covert, furtive, secret, stealthy, and surreptitious. While all these words mean "done without attracting observation," underhanded stresses fraud or deception.

an underhanded trick

Where would clandestine be a reasonable alternative to underhanded?

In some situations, the words clandestine and underhanded are roughly equivalent. However, clandestine implies secrecy usually for an evil, illicit, or unauthorized purpose and often emphasizes the fear of being discovered.

a clandestine meeting of conspirators

When is covert a more appropriate choice than underhanded?

The meanings of covert and underhanded largely overlap; however, covert stresses the fact of not being open or declared.

covert intelligence operations

When can furtive be used instead of underhanded?

Although the words furtive and underhanded have much in common, furtive implies a sly or cautious stealthiness.

lovers exchanging furtive glances

When might secret be a better fit than underhanded?

While the synonyms secret and underhanded are close in meaning, secret implies concealment on any grounds for any motive.

met at a secret location

When could stealthy be used to replace underhanded?

The words stealthy and underhanded can be used in similar contexts, but stealthy suggests taking pains to avoid being seen or heard especially in some misdoing.

the stealthy step of a burglar

When is it sensible to use surreptitious instead of underhanded?

The synonyms surreptitious and underhanded are sometimes interchangeable, but surreptitious applies to action or behavior done secretly often with skillful avoidance of detection and in violation of custom, law, or authority.

the surreptitious stockpiling of weapons

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 underhanded
Adverb
Cena, however, ultimately emerged victorious, squeaking by Orton via underhanded tactics to continue his heel run. Blake Oestriecher, Forbes.com, 11 May 2025 Furthermore, resist being underhanded, especially if these battles are work-related. Georgia Nicols, Denver Post, 26 Apr. 2025 For example, five of Reese’s 16 shots at the rim in Friday’s game against the Lunar Owls were underhanded. Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 9 Mar. 2025 Barry famously shot his free throws underhanded, too, so this was kind of his comfort zone. Daniel Brown, The Athletic, 19 July 2024 See All Example Sentences for underhanded
Recent Examples of Synonyms for underhanded
Adjective
  • There will be a temptation because of his height to draw parallels with Moyes’ use of Marouane Fellaini and Soucek, two key pillars of his Everton and West Ham sides, but where Rohl is concerned, his size can be deceptive.
    Patrick Boyland, New York Times, 4 Sep. 2025
  • In 2024, CarShield paid $10 million to settle allegations by the Federal Trade Commission that its ads were deceptive and that customers discovered many repairs were not covered.
    Brian Sloan, CNBC, 4 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • The position of chief judge, currently held by Timothy Evans, will instead be determined by an election held behind closed doors during a clandestine voting process in which fellow judges cast their secret ballots.
    Paul Vallas, Chicago Tribune, 29 Aug. 2025
  • Journaling, secret crushes and clandestine affairs take precedence.
    Valerie Mesa, People.com, 25 Aug. 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
Adjective
  • Websites with unusually long browser names or a lack of searchable company representatives or contact information could be fraudulent.
    Tamia Fowlkes, jsonline.com, 4 Sep. 2025
  • Blount deposited money into the account until April 2022, when the bank shut it down and reversed over $70,000 worth of the fraudulent deposits, prosecutors said.
    Olivia Lloyd, Miami Herald, 3 Sep. 2025
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
  • Maybe not something drastic like a world war, slavery or the Holocaust, but there’s always shady s–t going on.
    Carl Lamarre, Billboard, 3 Sep. 2025
  • Meursault also starts hanging out with his shady and brutish French neighbor, Raymond (Pierre Lottin), whose abusive relationship with an Algerian girl (Hajar Bouzaouit) eventually leads to the murder.
    Jordan Mintzer, HollywoodReporter, 2 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • Woman of the Hour In her directorial debut, Anna Kendrick stars as aspiring actress Sheryl Bradshaw, who unknowingly crosses paths with a covert serial killer (Daniel Zovatto) while appearing on The Dating Game.
    Jacqueline Weiss, PEOPLE, 7 Sep. 2025
  • That provision allows a president to take covert actions as long as Congress is informed.
    Emily Goodin, Miami Herald, 5 Sep. 2025
Adverb
  • Others are stealthily looking for deals, sales, using layaway options and trading brand preferences for affordability.
    Leah Olajide, Freep.com, 26 Aug. 2025
  • Did the guys stealthily get rid of their pocket squares?
    Radhika Seth, Vogue, 26 Aug. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Underhanded.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/underhanded. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.

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