1
as in fraudulent
given to or marked by cheating and deception
willing to stoop to underhand methods in order to win
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in clandestine
undertaken or done so as to escape being observed or known by others
the congressman's underhand attempt to slip several pork barrel items into the bill
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in underhanded
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Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Recent Examples of underhand
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
Buddy Collings, The Orlando Sentinel, 21 May 2025
Her explosive personality and underhand tactics constantly antagonize Jenny, a down-to-earth woman who’s more or less content staying in her small hometown despite often being treated like an outsider.
—Emily McClanathan, Chicago Tribune, 8 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for underhand
Adjective
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
Adverb
The conventional thought is that the windmill, underhand softball pitching motion creates less stress than throwing a baseball.
—Buddy Collings, The Orlando Sentinel, 21 May 2025
Her explosive personality and underhand tactics constantly antagonize Jenny, a down-to-earth woman who’s more or less content staying in her small hometown despite often being treated like an outsider.
—Emily McClanathan, Chicago Tribune, 8 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for underhand
Recent Examples of Synonyms for underhand
Adjective
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Businesses/nominees cannot obtain votes by any fraudulent or inappropriate means.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
12 Sep. 2025
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After a long process of validating legitimate claims and tossing out the ones that were fraudulent or duplicative, Angeion, the company in charge of distributing the payments, has finished its calculations determining how much each individual will get as payments go out starting this month.—
Alix Martichoux,
The Hill,
11 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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The Bundy family’s statement noted this and said their destination was not clandestine, as the FBI document alleged.—
Nicole Blanchard,
Idaho Statesman,
7 Sep. 2025
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The result was the Commandos, who operated in clandestine raids behind the lines to harass the enemy with remarkable success.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
7 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Agencies would review requests, balancing innovation against risks such as economic harm or deceptive practices.—
Paulo Carvão,
Forbes.com,
10 Sep. 2025
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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
Adjective
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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
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That provision allows a president to take covert actions as long as Congress is informed.—
Emily Goodin,
Miami Herald,
5 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Another reason is that most EVs don’t use wires in their steering column so they can’t be hotwired and some have cameras and motion detection that deter shady people that get too close to the vehicle.—
Keenan Thompson,
USA Today,
11 Sep. 2025
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Leaving it longer, especially in shady areas, helps the grass develop a stronger root system.—
Mary Marlowe Leverette,
Southern Living,
10 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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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
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Their boss, the only one not carrying a blaster, pointed a long crooked finger at Rusty and all the Blasters were raised at Rusty in unison.—
Manuel Muñoz,
Literary Hub,
11 Sep. 2025
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For a Chicago Cubs lineup that has struggled lately to consistently score runs, let alone put up a crooked number, Friday’s opener against the Colorado Rockies provided the ideal bounce-back environment coming off the sweep in San Francisco.—
Meghan Montemurro,
Chicago Tribune,
30 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Cameron Crowe researched what would become his debut script by going undercover as a high school student for a full year in what can only be described as a 21 Jump Street stunt.—
Paul Fitzgerald,
Rolling Stone,
8 Sep. 2025
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Further, this legislation is unnecessary if it is truly intended to apply to undercover officers.—
Charles Champion,
Oc Register,
8 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Underhand.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/underhand. Accessed 14 Sep. 2025.
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