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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
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 This act, designed to build intrigue for their WrestleMania match, portrayed Cena as underhanded. Newsweek Staff, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 Apr. 2025 This one was with the left hand, too, an underhanded prayer over the reach of Texas A&M’s Solomon Washington. Bennett Durando, The Denver Post, 22 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for underhanded
Recent Examples of Synonyms for underhanded
Adjective
  • In the suit, filed Friday, Newsom says that Fox News had used deceptive edits to claim that the governor had lied in saying that Trump had not called him about deploying National Guard troops during the L.A. protests.
    Caitlin Huston, HollywoodReporter, 27 June 2025
  • Florida is leading the way in what can become a national movement to crack down on hospitals’ deceptive and unfair billing practices.
    Cynthia A. Fisher, Sun Sentinel, 26 June 2025
Adjective
  • American veterans and others have traveled to smaller, clandestine clinics for treatment to deal with depression, post-traumatic stress disorder and addiction.
    Eduardo Cuevas, USA Today, 29 June 2025
  • Gi-hun, who’d found his way back in the clandestine gaming complex (situated inside a mountain on a remote island), is Player 456 again among a new round of contestants.
    Lorraine Ali, Los Angeles Times, 28 June 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
  • Execution: With these tools in place, fraudsters can open fraudulent accounts, apply for loans and carry out high-value transactions, all while appearing completely legitimate.
    Parya Lotfi, Forbes.com, 23 June 2025
  • This includes Amazon allowing small businesses to make multiple appeals when fighting a fraudulent return.
    Katie Tarasov, CNBC, 21 June 2025
Adjective
  • In the back garden, for example, there’s a shady grove with hammocks and low seating that is one of the couple’s favorite places to enjoy quiet moments.
    Katia Contreras, Architectural Digest, 19 June 2025
  • Best Types of Hibiscus for Hummingbirds Hibiscus plants come in a range of options—from native perennials to tropical annuals—all of which attract hummingbirds and are suited for sunny to partly shady spaces, says Myers.
    Anne Readel, Better Homes & Gardens, 18 June 2025
Adjective
  • For every regime change at the hands of Americans that went well—think Adolf Hitler’s exit from Germany and Benito Mussolini from Italy—there are multitudes that went off the rails: six overt attempts during the Cold War and another 64 in covert operations.
    Philip Elliott, Time, 19 June 2025
  • The Whyte Python World Tour by Travis Kennedy The laughs are as big as the mullets in this rollicking story about a hugely successful hair-metal band that’s really a cover for a covert operation in Cold War-era Eastern Europe.
    Andrea Lavinthal, People.com, 18 June 2025
Adjective
  • What Pete Rose did was selfish, illicit, shameful, crooked.
    John Nogowski, Hartford Courant, 14 May 2025
  • Meanwhile, a crooked wayfarer named St. Christophe (Jackson) is hot on Broadway’s trail, catching up with the young man and revealing that his dead dad wasn’t, in fact, a stand-up guy.
    Jordan Mintzer, HollywoodReporter, 11 June 2025
Adjective
  • On June 24, undercover agents attempted to purchase fireworks from Pan.
    Roni Jacobson, New York Daily News, 30 June 2025
  • Conan Edogawa and Detective Kogoro Mouri join the Nagano prefectural police to investigate a break-in at the observatory while uncovering a deeper plot involving undercover agents, betrayal, and vengeance.
    Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 30 June 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Underhanded.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/underhanded. Accessed 4 Jul. 2025.

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