as in deceptive
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Recent Examples of manipulative
Is the kiss — the most striking act of intimacy Carol has experienced since the death of her wife — manipulative?
—
Ethan Shanfeld, Variety, 19 Dec. 2025
His innocence is preyed upon by two manipulative pirates in The SpongeBob Movie.
—Lynnette Nicholas, Parents, 19 Dec. 2025
Capricorn energy climbs the corporate ladder with ease, skipping steps or resorting to manipulative tactics to win.
—Lisa Stardust, Refinery29, 19 Dec. 2025
Conservatives cannot allow our discourse to be distorted by manipulative foreign amplification.
—Josh Hammer, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for manipulative
Recent Examples of Synonyms for manipulative
Adjective
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While not everyone gets their wishes, those with no interest in taking on the deceptive — and challenging — role of a Traitor likely won't be chosen.—
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The legal claims included negligence, wrongful death, deceptive trade practices, and product liability.—
Adjective
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The book goes into the deceitful methods used to secure the interview, which was broadcast on 20 November 1995, and the interest in figuring out what happened that exists to this day.—
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Others agreed that her actions were thoughtful, not deceitful.—
Adjective
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His fall played as tabloid morality tale, at once confirming secular suspicion about hypocritical Christians and Christian suspicions about the temptations of secular trappings.—
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And now, with several countries withdrawing from global governance, Jin thinks those lecturing China on being responsible are being hypocritical.—
Adjective
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Another season of The Traitors is here — which means a new group of devious celebrities has been chosen to wreak havoc in the castle.—
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Liongate just greenlit a sequel film based on the second book in Freida McFadden’s trilogy series, The Housemaid’s Secret, with Sydney Sweeney returning as the devious maid, Millie Calloway.—
Adjective
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Fueled by vengeance and cunning ambition, Ashur rises from betrayal and bloodshed to seize power, gouging out a place for the House of Ashur in a new arena full of violence, desire, and twisted loyalty.—
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The elaborate scheme, masterminded by members of four Mafia families in collusion with celebrity athletes, ensnared unsuspecting victims, bleeding them of over $7 million through cunning deception, prosecutors said in the indictment.—
Adjective
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Willms plans to call the Bureau of Land Management — the agency that oversees these parcels of federal land — to report the crooked stake.—
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Begin by removing any suckers at the base of the tree, side shoots on the trunk, crossing or crooked branches, dead or damaged branches, those that are growing inward, and crowded branches.—
Adjective
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Bad decisions and underhanded betrayals ensue.—
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And truth be told, Brosmer responded by throwing one of the worst interceptions in Vikings history, a panicked, underhanded heave that had about three Seahawks defenders lining up for an interception.—
Adjective
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After taking scheming actions, the model sometimes doubles down on its deception when asked follow-up questions.—
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What initially seems to be a satire about corporate downsizing evolves into a kind of scheming caper romp, before downshifting into something that feels more horror-comedy structured.—
Cite this Entry
“Manipulative.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/manipulative. Accessed 12 Jan. 2026.
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