as in deception
the use of clever underhanded actions to achieve an end
that candidate only won the election through chicanery
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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 chicanery
Democrats have stood still for this chicanery every time it’s been tried in the past.
—
Thomas Elias, Mercury News, 16 Sep. 2025
The trial was a kangaroo circus packed with sophism, subterfuge, and courtroom chicanery.
—Manuel Muñoz, Literary Hub, 11 Sep. 2025
Those concerns were laid bare in the discovery process for the defamation case that Dominion Voting Systems took against Fox over false suggestions of fraud and other chicanery aired by guests on the network.
—Niall Stanage, The Hill, 19 July 2025
Despite the chicanery, this is a solid deal for a phone that isn’t wildly different from the Pixel 9.
—Janhoi McGregor, Forbes.com, 7 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for chicanery
Thomas Elias, Mercury News, 16 Sep. 2025
The trial was a kangaroo circus packed with sophism, subterfuge, and courtroom chicanery.
—Manuel Muñoz, Literary Hub, 11 Sep. 2025
Those concerns were laid bare in the discovery process for the defamation case that Dominion Voting Systems took against Fox over false suggestions of fraud and other chicanery aired by guests on the network.
—Niall Stanage, The Hill, 19 July 2025
Despite the chicanery, this is a solid deal for a phone that isn’t wildly different from the Pixel 9.
—Janhoi McGregor, Forbes.com, 7 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for chicanery
Recent Examples of Synonyms for chicanery
Noun
-
Sybiha said Russia uses a range of tactics to recruit foreigners, including financial incentives, deception and coercion.—
Ashley Carnahan,
FOXNews.com,
10 Feb. 2026
-
The crux of the Democrats’ deception is that repealing 287(g) will make our communities safer.—
Robin Grammer,
Baltimore Sun,
10 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Perfidy — from the French perfidie via the Latin perfidia — means deceitfulness, treachery or a breach of faith or promise.—
Harmeet Kaur,
CNN Money,
21 Jan. 2026
-
But despite all this, not every Chelsea fan outside his family will regard this transfer as treachery.—
Simon Johnson,
New York Times,
17 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
For all its cutthroat espionage and subterfuge, The Americans was always a show about family.—
Randall Colburn,
Entertainment Weekly,
30 Jan. 2026
-
Smiley, working with his colleague Peter Guillam (Benedict Cumberbatch) narrows his inquiry to five men, including Bill Haydon (Colin Firth) and Roy Bland (Ciarán Hinds), using clever subterfuge and maneuvering to get the truth.—
David Faris,
TheWeek,
15 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Possible skulduggery on that answer messes with this pick a bit.—
Greg Cote
December 24,
Miami Herald,
24 Dec. 2025
-
There was much more to it than that, including some skullduggery along the way.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
22 Dec. 2025
Noun
-
Just like the ClickFix attacks, this malicious trickery is all about running commands that almost all users would never think to do in normal circumstances.—
Zak Doffman,
Forbes.com,
29 Jan. 2026
-
While there’s a little studio trickery, like a drum part taped at a slower tempo but sped up to the BPM in the recording, the rest was due to a perspective shift.—
Nina Corcoran,
Pitchfork,
29 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Of course, the retort is that this would be irritating and exasperating to be continually deluged with alerts about AI deceptiveness.—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes.com,
24 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
Much like the character that brought him instant fame, Waltz loves the gamesmanship that comes with a villainous turn.—
William Earl,
Variety,
6 Feb. 2026
-
Coach Paul Maurice might have even engaged in a little gamesmanship, telling reporters in the morning that Marchand would remain out, only for Marchand to be in the lineup.—
Steve Conroy,
Boston Herald,
5 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Mike Bowman, designer, furniture industry expert, and director of marketing for Harmonia Living, says this trend relies on furnishings to bring artfulness to a space—rather than just functionality.—
Patricia Shannon,
Better Homes & Gardens,
10 Jan. 2026
-
There is a real seriousness to the score — the scheming bad-guy music has the artfulness of Prokofiev, and even the sneaking-around cues have musical integrity and structure.—
Tim Greiving,
Vulture,
3 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Chicanery.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/chicanery. Accessed 14 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
