1
as in fraudulent
given to or marked by cheating and deception
willing to stoop to underhand methods in order to win
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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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in underhanded
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of underhand
Kaitlyn Tiffany, The Atlantic, 17 Mar. 2025
The rest of those underhand shots resulted in misses while six of her makes on a 7-for-16 shooting night came off overhand layups.
—Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 9 Mar. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for underhand
Adjective
Softball has a bigger ball and underhand pitching, as well as a smaller diamond, a closer fence, and a different style of play that is both faster and simpler.
—Kaitlyn Tiffany, The Atlantic, 17 Mar. 2025
The rest of those underhand shots resulted in misses while six of her makes on a 7-for-16 shooting night came off overhand layups.
—Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 9 Mar. 2025
Adverb
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
See All Example Sentences for underhand
Recent Examples of Synonyms for underhand
Adjective
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If someone submits a fraudulent claim, instead of losing insurance, their personal trust score would be lowered, which would impact insurance costs.—
Robert Clark,
Forbes.com,
12 June 2025
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To report a fake social media post, fraudulent text or scam, first report the specific post or profile on the social media platform itself, the center said.—
Angela Rodriguez,
Sacbee.com,
5 June 2025
Adjective
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Syria under Assad is believed to have operated an extensive clandestine nuclear program, which included an undeclared nuclear reactor built by North Korea in eastern Deir el-Zour province.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
5 June 2025
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The only way to pre-empt detection by these IAEA watchdogs would be for Ukraine to withdraw from the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and expel the atomic inspectors, but those moves would amount to trumpeting Kyiv’s clandestine quest to develop a nuclear warhead.—
Kevin Holden Platt,
Forbes.com,
1 June 2025
Adjective
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Payment providers can face significant card brand penalties if they are found to facilitate deceptive behavior.—
Rochelle Blease,
Forbes.com,
13 June 2025
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Don't fall prey to deceptive marketing language and inflated MSRP prices—our tips only take a few moments.—
Louryn Strampe,
Wired News,
12 June 2025
Adjective
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Russia's latest barrages followed last weekend's covert Ukrainian operation in which agents used more than 100 drones concealed in large trucks to attack strategic bomber bases deep inside Russia.—
David Brennan,
ABC News,
8 June 2025
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Russia’s attacks on Friday come two days after Russian President Vladimir Putin vowed to retaliate against Ukraine for its highly successful Operation Spider’s Web covert strike on Russia on June 1.—
Christopher Tremoglie,
The Washington Examiner,
6 June 2025
Adjective
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Give your dad the gift of peace of mind with a data removal service that scrubs his personal details from people-search sites and shady data brokers.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
8 June 2025
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Markowski recommends reducing shady, humid areas where the insects hide from the heat, including ornamental grasses, dense shrubs, carports and rocks near ponds.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
8 June 2025
Adjective
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Meanwhile, a crooked wayfarer named St. Christophe (Jackson) is hot on Broadway’s trail, catching up with the young man and revealing that his dead dad wasn’t, in fact, a stand-up guy.—
Jordan Mintzer,
HollywoodReporter,
11 June 2025
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From viral LinkedIn mantras to inspirational TED Talks, authenticity is praised as the antidote to crooked leaders, political doublespeak, and robotic managerialism, not to mention phony politicians.—
Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic,
Forbes.com,
9 June 2025
Adjective
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So is this mystery novel secretly the story of The Gilded Age and is this an undercover crossover?—
Nick Romano,
EW.com,
6 June 2025
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The missing money controlled by Velazquez was supposed to go toward undercover narcotics operations.—
Charles Rabin,
Miami Herald,
4 June 2025
Adjective
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Transgender rights are way too important to tie to claims that are blatantly, obviously and scientifically dishonest.—
Mike Bianchi,
The Orlando Sentinel,
10 June 2025
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Users of all sites expressed frustration with dishonest users and dating scams, which appeared to be a particular problem on Tinder.—
Dan Gingiss,
Forbes.com,
9 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Underhand.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/underhand. Accessed 19 Jun. 2025.
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