as in deception
the use of clever underhanded actions to achieve an end
that author doesn't go in for literary gamesmanship, so the reader is never led astray by the novel's narrator
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Recent Examples of gamesmanship
Contract disputes, regulatory delays and political gamesmanship have choked off investment in transmission and generation.
—
Dan Eberhart, Forbes.com, 19 Apr. 2025
Or maybe — just maybe — there’s some gamesmanship at play.
—Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 10 Apr. 2025
Speaking of middle fingers, Amanda Anisimova felt compelled to show hers to Mirra Andreeva after their match on Sunday night following what appeared to be accusations of gamesmanship from the Russian towards her opponent.
—Charlie Eccleshare, The Athletic, 24 Mar. 2025
Psychologist Susan Cain, in Quiet, says introverts thrive in solitude, delivering their best work without the social stimulus overload of open offices and needing to play political gamesmanship.
—Jack Kelly, Forbes.com, 9 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for gamesmanship
Dan Eberhart, Forbes.com, 19 Apr. 2025
Or maybe — just maybe — there’s some gamesmanship at play.
—Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 10 Apr. 2025
Speaking of middle fingers, Amanda Anisimova felt compelled to show hers to Mirra Andreeva after their match on Sunday night following what appeared to be accusations of gamesmanship from the Russian towards her opponent.
—Charlie Eccleshare, The Athletic, 24 Mar. 2025
Psychologist Susan Cain, in Quiet, says introverts thrive in solitude, delivering their best work without the social stimulus overload of open offices and needing to play political gamesmanship.
—Jack Kelly, Forbes.com, 9 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for gamesmanship
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gamesmanship
Noun
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Recently recovered emails, messages, photos, and videos reveal the depths of the deception.—
Dominic Patten,
Deadline,
9 June 2025
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Even commercial amusements that played with illusion, such as trompe l’oeil paintings and chess-playing automatons, helped train Americans of all classes to identify the signs of deception.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
9 June 2025
Noun
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When the magazine writer Dylan (Daryl Wein) and his girlfriend and photographer, Lucy (Abigail Cowen), descend upon the rocker Milo (Jack Farthing), there’s subterfuge afoot.—
Lisa Kennedy,
New York Times,
1 May 2025
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The only safe refuge, 20 miles away, is the federal garrison at Harpers Ferry, but reaching it will require much subterfuge and even more luck.—
Alida Becker,
New York Times,
30 Apr. 2025
Noun
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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
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Given the lawfare that tracks the uncertainty of our moral foundation, Henry Johnson is more pertinent than Oleanna, Mamet’s prophesy of the chicanery in the Me Too movement.—
Armond White,
National Review,
14 May 2025
Noun
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That’s the treachery of this world, that’s the trap.—
Lauren Coates,
Variety,
24 May 2025
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Press play below to learn more about Wells’ treachery, and to get a sneak peek at the fugitive interacting with her latest target.—
Matt Webb Mitovich,
TVLine,
7 Apr. 2025
Noun
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In a nod to Chicago’s long history of bartender magicians, bars will be set up as much for trickery as for cocktails.—
Chris Jones,
Chicago Tribune,
15 May 2025
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Medicaid fraud patterns continue to proliferate, escaping the notice of human workers doing their best to spot such trickery.—
Michael Ashley,
Forbes.com,
11 Apr. 2025
Noun
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From encounters with mermaids, the devil and even Robin Hood to themes of superstition and skulduggery, these short tales are perfect escapism to dip in and out of during your summer vacation.—
Newsweek Staff,
MSNBC Newsweek,
28 May 2025
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This year the skulduggery began early and has been raging for week.—
Tim Spiers,
New York Times,
12 Apr. 2025
Noun
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State media called the transfer part of a wider intelligence campaign, highlighting its secrecy and complexity.—
Amir Daftari,
MSNBC Newsweek,
9 June 2025
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Like thousands of other teachers, from kindergarten to college, he was called in by investigators on the flimsiest of evidence, in a hidden proceeding whose records are still shrouded in secrecy.—
Jane S. Smith,
Chicago Tribune,
6 June 2025
Noun
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On the other end of the spectrum was the more docile Kelly who often felt conflicted when her morals clashed with the cunning needed to succeed in the game.—
Nick Caruso,
TVLine,
27 May 2025
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But Waltz also advocated for further diplomatically isolating President Vladimir Putin — a position that was out of step with Trump, who has viewed the Russian leader, at moments, with admiration for his cunning in dealings with Trump’s predecessors.—
Matthew Lee,
Chicago Tribune,
24 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Gamesmanship.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gamesmanship. Accessed 19 Jun. 2025.
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