1
as in fraudulent
given to or marked by cheating and deception
willing to stoop to underhand methods in order to win
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in underhanded
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
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 underhand
Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 24 Nov. 2025
The inmate seems to show his butt to the group one more time, and did an underhand slapping motion.
—Gillian Stawiszynski, Cincinnati Enquirer, 21 Nov. 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
Humans were seen tossing balls underhand or stepping up to test batting responses.
—Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 24 Nov. 2025
The inmate seems to show his butt to the group one more time, and did an underhand slapping motion.
—Gillian Stawiszynski, Cincinnati Enquirer, 21 Nov. 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
-
Legislators passed an emergency certification bill in February that increases fines for fraudulent redemption, requires redemption centers to keep track of bulk drop-offs and allows local police to go after out-of-state violators.—
Angela Eichhorst,
Hartford Courant,
30 Apr. 2026
-
First, Jones submitted fraudulent expense reimbursement requests for fictitious business expenses.—
Irene Wright,
USA Today,
30 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
The role of the two CIA agents who were returning from destroying a clandestine drug lab in the northern Mexican state of Chihuahua remains unclear.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
25 Apr. 2026
-
The role of the two CIA agents, who were returning from destroying a clandestine drug lab in the northern Mexican state of Chihuahua, remains unclear.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
25 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Guest reveals concerns about deceptive display.—
,
FOXNews.com,
28 Apr. 2026
-
Chicago arts venues are united in their disdain for the deceptive practice.—
Noel Brennan,
CBS News,
27 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Indeed, our research suggests AI chatbots could easily be used for covert advertising to manipulate their human users.—
Brian Jay Tang,
The Conversation,
24 Apr. 2026
-
In a series first, Captain Sig Hansen launches an unprecedented covert scouting mission, deploying an underwater drone into the unknown waters in a bold attempt to locate the rare strain of king crab before the rest of the fleet arrives.—
Tony Maglio,
HollywoodReporter,
23 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
The campsites are nestled in a shady valley about a half-mile walk from the ferry port.—
Tribune News Service,
Baltimore Sun,
29 Apr. 2026
-
Nancy Pelosi found a shady spot under a tree.—
James Reginato,
Vanity Fair,
28 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Get Ready: Katy Perry Has Released a Sneak Peek of Her New Song And the internet has receipts.—
Mehera Bonner,
Marie Claire,
15 Mar. 2017
Adjective
-
The crooked lawyer, played by Bridget Regan, on ABC's police procedural series, died in the penultimate episode of Season 8 in a dramatic cliffhanger ahead of next week's finale.—
Anthony Robledo,
USA Today,
28 Apr. 2026
-
The willow out front, where the children used to play, was thick and crooked with age.—
Lizzie Johnson,
New Yorker,
25 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
These were actually undercover police officers.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
27 Apr. 2026
-
Federal prosecutors in Alabama secured an 11-count indictment accusing the organization of paying millions of dollars to some of those undercover informants and hiding the real purpose of the payments from its donors.—
Josh Meyer,
USA Today,
25 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Underhand.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/underhand. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
