as in deception
the use of clever underhanded actions to achieve an end
that author doesn't go in for literary gamesmanship, so the reader is never led astray by the novel's narrator
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Recent Examples of gamesmanship
The stakes are too high for geopolitical opportunism, ideological gamesmanship or wacky Trumpian madness.
—
Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 30 Jan. 2025
The lack of a definitive pronouncement of a starter ahead of the game was likely a move of gamesmanship to keep Atlanta preparing for two quarterbacks.
—Vic Tafur, The Athletic, 16 Dec. 2024
The play might have worked; but an evidentiary hearing, like a showdown in a game of poker, is where gamesmanship collides with the facts and at its conclusion, all the bluffs are called and the cards lie face up.
—CBS News, 10 Dec. 2024
This is political gamesmanship at its worst, planting a trap for lawmakers by exploiting a tragedy.
—Paul Du Quenoy, Newsweek, 10 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for gamesmanship
Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 30 Jan. 2025
The lack of a definitive pronouncement of a starter ahead of the game was likely a move of gamesmanship to keep Atlanta preparing for two quarterbacks.
—Vic Tafur, The Athletic, 16 Dec. 2024
The play might have worked; but an evidentiary hearing, like a showdown in a game of poker, is where gamesmanship collides with the facts and at its conclusion, all the bluffs are called and the cards lie face up.
—CBS News, 10 Dec. 2024
This is political gamesmanship at its worst, planting a trap for lawmakers by exploiting a tragedy.
—Paul Du Quenoy, Newsweek, 10 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for gamesmanship
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gamesmanship
Noun
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Tacopina recently appeared on The Breakfast Club to break down key elements of the defense’s strategy in proving Rocky’s innocence, and the plaintiff’s, A$AP Relli, lies and deception.—
Preezy Brown,
VIBE.com,
25 Feb. 2025
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Today the art world is reeling over not just her deception, but also the stain Ms. Schiff has left on the largely unregulated business of art advising.—
Sarah Maslin Nir,
New York Times,
18 Feb. 2025
Noun
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With a bit of guidance, navigating between the classic go-to’s and the newer dining options are scattered throughout the properties can lead to incredible culinary discoveries, plenty of popping champagne bottles and even a dash of historical subterfuge.—
Alissa Fitzgerald,
Forbes,
22 Feb. 2025
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This sequence introduces The Agency as a maze of contradictory nationalist motivations, paranoia-inducing surveillance, and prevalent subterfuge — and, in its hidden center, a love story.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
24 Jan. 2025
Noun
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There will be years of political infighting, courtroom battles, and financial chicanery.—
Jeff Goodell,
Rolling Stone,
13 Feb. 2025
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That access has been critical, because producers are now forced to cut away from replays faster to capture more of that line-of-scrimmage chicanery.—
Jacob Feldman,
Sportico.com,
5 Feb. 2025
Noun
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The songs typically crop up in the final act of an episode as the tensions (and treacheries) mount.—
Mark Peikert,
IndieWire,
13 Feb. 2025
-
After a season of treachery and deception, the winner or winners of The Traitors UK Season 3 have been revealed.—
Armando Tinoco,
Deadline,
24 Jan. 2025
Noun
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That would have been a stupid question just about anywhere else, but the exhibition was by Laura Owens, a painter with a penchant for trickery, and the venue was Matthew Marks Gallery in New York, whose press release for Owens’s latest outing offered little in the way of explanation.—
Alex Greenberger,
ARTnews.com,
24 Feb. 2025
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Astounding transformations, in which one character takes on the appearance of another, will leave you wondering how the trickery was pulled off.—
Charles McNulty,
Los Angeles Times,
21 Feb. 2025
Noun
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Obviously, such a system is rife with uncertainty, and the history of the process is full of skulduggery, both on the club and player side.—
Tony Blengino,
Forbes,
13 Jan. 2025
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Climax became the first ever vegan cheesemaker to win a prestigious Good Food award—though dairy complaints caused the prize to be rescinded at the last minute, with shades of the protectionist, legal skulduggery faced by non-dairy milk products.—
Andrew Rosenblum,
Popular Science,
26 Dec. 2024
Noun
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The White House has never released a list of DOGE’s leadership, such as people reporting directly to Musk or Gleason, let alone a full list of staff members, adding to a culture of secrecy around DOGE and prompting news organizations to begin compiling lists on their own of dozens of staffers.—
David Ingram,
NBC News,
25 Feb. 2025
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The College of Cardinals has been called to the Sistine Chapel to elect a new pope under a veil of secrecy.—
Nora Colomer,
Fox News,
24 Feb. 2025
Noun
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For Mirren, the cunning and cruelty of Whitfield is a timely example of power corrupting absolutely.—
Hunter Ingram,
Variety,
23 Feb. 2025
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Gilded by privilege and cunning, Glinda is a popular young woman who desires to wield magic.—
Destiny Jackson,
Deadline,
23 Jan. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Gamesmanship.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gamesmanship. Accessed 3 Mar. 2025.
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