underhanded

1 of 2

adverb

un·​der·​hand·​ed ˌən-dər-ˈhan-dəd 

: underhand

underhanded

2 of 2

adjective

: marked by secrecy, chicanery, and deception : not honest and aboveboard : sly

an underhanded attempt to gain power

underhandedly adverb

underhandedness noun

Synonyms

Adjective

• bent [chiefly British]
• crooked
• deceptive
• dishonest
• double-dealing
• duplicitous
• fast
• fraudulent
• guileful
• rogue
• shady
• sharp
• shifty
• underhand

Choose the Right Synonym for underhanded

secret, covert, stealthy, furtive, clandestine, surreptitious, underhanded mean done without attracting observation.

secret implies concealment on any grounds for any motive.

met at a secret location

covert stresses the fact of not being open or declared.

covert intelligence operations

stealthy suggests taking pains to avoid being seen or heard especially in some misdoing.

the stealthy step of a burglar

furtive implies a sly or cautious stealthiness.

lovers exchanging furtive glances

clandestine implies secrecy usually for an evil, illicit, or unauthorized purpose and often emphasizes the fear of being discovered.

a clandestine meeting of conspirators

surreptitious applies to action or behavior done secretly often with skillful avoidance of detection and in violation of custom, law, or authority.

the surreptitious stockpiling of weapons

underhanded stresses fraud or deception.

an underhanded trick

Examples of underhanded in a Sentence

Adjective

the commercial is a part of an underhanded PR campaign to whitewash the company's environmental record

an underhanded attempt at infiltrating the other party's headquarters

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Brittany doubtless committed homicide, but the underhanded techniques that helped put her on death row could also be used against innocent people. —Lawrence Wright, The New Yorker, 10 Feb. 2025

Question 300 supporters accuse the anti-marijuana majority on the council of using baldly underhanded tactics to thwart the will of the voters in this city of nearly half a million people. —John Aguilar, The Denver Post, 19 Jan. 2025

The Trump team’s efforts to crush dissent range from public-media campaigns targeting vulnerable senators in conservative states (and paid for by unelected billionaires) to more underhanded tactics aimed at intimidating and discrediting potentially hostile witnesses. —Jane Mayer, The New Yorker, 14 Jan. 2025

From lobbing slow-motion, underhanded softballs of no public interest to failing to seek clarification for unintelligible tirades to ignoring or allowing falsehoods and blatant political spin, the interview serves less as a public service and more as a reminder of ... —Becket Adams, National Review, 12 Jan. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

Adverb

circa 1822, in the meaning defined above

Adjective

1853, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

underhanded

adjective or adverb

un·​der·​hand·​ed

ˌən-dər-ˈhan-dəd

: underhand entry 1, underhand entry 2 sense 1

underhandedly adverb

underhandedness noun