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 an artful 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

That is passive aggressive and perhaps even manipulative, Hendrix says, and certainly not part of a healthy relationship. —Jenny McCoy, Glamour, 10 Jan. 2025

Slaveholders, in their experience, were manipulative and violent. —Monti Datta, The Conversation, 9 Jan. 2025

But what Jay Roach’s film accomplished was to remind us of the first time that Kidman played a ruthless, ambitious, thoroughly manipulative woman intent on dominating the world of broadcast journalism in Gus Van Sant’s To Die For. —Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 3 Jan. 2025

The most persuasive people are able to prove their point without seeming manipulative or ill-intended. —Ashton Jackson, CNBC, 28 Dec. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1834, in the meaning defined above