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underhanded

adjective

Synonyms and Antonyms of underhanded

1 given to or marked by cheating and deception

  • the commercial is a part of an underhanded PR campaign to whitewash the company's environmental record
Synonyms of underhanded

bent [chiefly British], crooked, deceptive, dishonest, double-dealing, duplicitous, fast, fraudulent, guileful, rogue, shady, sharp, shifty, underhand
Words Related to underhanded

unconscionable, unethical, unprincipled, unscrupulous

deceitful, deceiving, deluding, delusive, delusory, false

artful, beguiling, cagey (also cagy), crafty, cunning, foxy, slick, sly, subtle, wily

defrauding, devious, furtive, slippery, sneaking, sneaky, trickish, tricky

insidious, perfidious, treacherous
Near Antonyms of underhanded

conscientious, decent, ethical, honorable, just, scrupulous, upright

forthright, straightforward
Antonyms of underhanded

aboveboard, honest, straight

2 undertaken or done so as to escape being observed or known by others

  • an underhanded attempt at infiltrating the other partyʼs headquarters
Synonyms of underhanded

backstairs, behind-the-scenes, clandestine, covert, furtive, hole-and-corner, hugger-mugger, hush-hush, private, privy, secret, sneak, sneaking, sneaky, stealth, stealthy, surreptitious, undercover, underground, underhand
Words Related to underhanded

back-channel, closed-door, off-the-books, off-the-record

classified, confidential, restricted, top secret, undisclosed

concealed, hidden, secreted, subterranean, unadvertised, unexposed
Near Antonyms of underhanded

acknowledged, avowed

aboveboard, straightforward, unconcealed, undisguised

unclassified, unrestricted

clear, evident, manifest, obvious, patent, plain
Antonyms of underhanded

open, overt, public

Synonym Discussion of underhanded

secret, covert, stealthy, furtive, clandestine, surreptitious, underhanded mean done without attracting observation. secret implies concealment on any grounds for any motive.
    • met at a secret location
covert stresses the fact of not being open or declared.
    • covert intelligence operations
stealthy suggests taking pains to avoid being seen or heard especially in some misdoing.
    • the stealthy step of a burglar
furtive implies a sly or cautious stealthiness.
    • lovers exchanging furtive glances
clandestine implies secrecy usually for an evil, illicit, or unauthorized purpose and often emphasizes the fear of being discovered.
    • a clandestine meeting of conspirators
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
underhanded stresses fraud or deception.
    • an underhanded trick

Learn More about underhanded

  1. See words that rhyme with underhanded Dictionary: Definition of underhanded Spanish Central: Translation of underhanded Nglish: Translation of underhanded for Spanish speakers

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