as in deceptive
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Recent Examples of manipulative
Other interview subjects said Prince was abused himself as a child and could be controlling or emotionally manipulative.
—
Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 4 Mar. 2025
This alternately philosophical and poetic short shows a different side of Fuentes, whose journals provide the backbone to a moving (but also manipulative) story of personal healing.
—Peter Debruge, Variety, 2 Mar. 2025
The former manipulative Fairy Godmother also appeared in the 2022 mystery Death on the Nile, which featured Dawn French, Kenneth Branagh and Gal Gadot.
—Zoey Lyttle, People.com, 1 Mar. 2025
Experts advise that rather than engaging in their manipulative tactics, individuals should focus on protecting their own peace of mind.
—Barbara A. Perry, Newsweek, 28 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for manipulative
Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 4 Mar. 2025
This alternately philosophical and poetic short shows a different side of Fuentes, whose journals provide the backbone to a moving (but also manipulative) story of personal healing.
—Peter Debruge, Variety, 2 Mar. 2025
The former manipulative Fairy Godmother also appeared in the 2022 mystery Death on the Nile, which featured Dawn French, Kenneth Branagh and Gal Gadot.
—Zoey Lyttle, People.com, 1 Mar. 2025
Experts advise that rather than engaging in their manipulative tactics, individuals should focus on protecting their own peace of mind.
—Barbara A. Perry, Newsweek, 28 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for manipulative
Recent Examples of Synonyms for manipulative
Adjective
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False Hope And Fake Assurances Ransomware operators also exploit victims with false assurances, creating a deceptive sense of hope that there is a way to resolve the situation.—
Stu Sjouwerman,
Forbes,
10 Mar. 2025
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That’s the film’s greatest surprise, its secret deceptive pitch.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
7 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Competition supersedes cooperation, doing so in rather deceitful ways.—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes,
21 Mar. 2025
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Although many online gambling venues have terms of service that bar underage use, some teens use deceitful methods to sidestep state law.—
Adam Hudacek,
Baltimore Sun,
10 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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The Schimel campaign called the Wisconsin Democrats’ efforts hypocritical, referencing reporting that Crawford participated in a donor advisory briefing.—
Caroline Vakil,
The Hill,
10 Mar. 2025
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But spending taxpayer money for anything short of necessities comes off as hypocritical, at best, especially for Trump, as his administration guts federal agencies — including those Central Floridians rely on during times of their greatest need.—
The Orlando Sentinel and Santa Cruz Sentinel editorial boards,
Orlando Sentinel,
22 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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This flashback kickoff, which looks to tell the devious origin story of the megachurch-leading Gemstone clan, went from long shot to lock quickly.—
Marco della Cava,
USA TODAY,
10 Mar. 2025
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This devious methodology tricked Google’s Play Store defenses by using a vanilla version of the app as an initial trojan horse before updating with the fraudulent ad code, an update not a new app.—
Zak Doffman,
Forbes,
5 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Michael Douglas — Wall Street (1987) Gordon Gekko is a cunning and unscrupulous corporate predator who crystallized the Reagan-era ethos into three words.—
EW.com,
EW.com,
2 Mar. 2025
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Gilded by privilege and cunning, Glinda (Ariana Grande) is a popular young woman who desires to wield magic.—
Destiny Jackson,
Deadline,
2 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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The people here prefer to be crooked while pretending to be holy.—
Colm Tóibín,
The New Yorker,
2 Mar. 2025
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My tween self wrote a letter to myself stating that my ideal person would have a crooked smile, a sense of humor, honest eyes and a creative palate.—
Lisa Stardust,
People.com,
12 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Amidst, all the in court and outside court filings, statements and postures around this multi-lawsuit matter the NYT has long said its journalists did their job and there was nothing underhanded going on.—
Dominic Patten,
Deadline,
4 Mar. 2025
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Brittany doubtless committed homicide, but the underhanded techniques that helped put her on death row could also be used against innocent people.—
Lawrence Wright,
The New Yorker,
10 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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The doors that slam, as farcical doors are built to do, open to work spaces, where a good deal of time is spent scheming and counter-scheming.—
Charles McNulty,
Los Angeles Times,
7 Feb. 2025
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Dan Aykroyd and Eddie Murphy get revenge on two scheming executives.—
AJ Willingham,
CNN,
23 Dec. 2022
Cite this Entry
“Manipulative.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/manipulative. Accessed 26 Mar. 2025.
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