manipulative

adjective

ma·​nip·​u·​la·​tive mə-ˈni-pyə-ˌlā-tiv 

-lə-

: of, relating to, or performed by manipulation

Osteopathy emphasizes manipulative techniques to correct abnormalities thought to cause disease and inhibit recovery.

—Carol L. Otis et al.

especially : serving or intended to control or influence others in a deceptive and often unfair or selfish way

a clever and manipulative child

manipulative behavior

Simpleminded as his critics found his ideas and remarks, cynical and manipulative as he may have been in actuality, he seemed to believe every word he said.

—Arthur Miller

manipulatively adverb

manipulativeness noun

Examples of manipulative in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The show is postapocalyptic and emotionally manipulative—think The Last of Us meets This Is Us—but the supple acting and careful character development pay off in the latest season. —Dan Zak, The Atlantic, 3 May 2026

Throughout this intimate and urgent book, keim aims to reconcile their sense of self with a dual estrangement from their mercurial, manipulative mother and from their countries of origin. —Literary Hub, 28 Apr. 2026

Your data The surveillance capitalism system requires people to unwittingly participate in a manipulative cycle of group- and self-surveillance. —Anne Toomey McKenna, The Conversation, 21 Apr. 2026

Hamm played the manipulative ad man on Mad Men for seven seasons from 2007 to 2015, alongside his on-screen wife, Betty, played by January Jones. —Meredith Wilshere, PEOPLE, 19 Apr. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1834, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for manipulative

• accommodative
• accumulative
• adjudicative
• administrative
• agglutinative
• ameliorative
• appreciative
• assimilative
• associative
• authoritative
• collaborative
• cooperative