as in engineered
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1
as in exploited
to control or take advantage of by artful, unfair, or insidious means
the con man would slyly manipulate the emotions of his marks in order to win their sympathy and trust
Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in managed
to deal with (something) usually skillfully or efficiently
spin doctors manipulating the data to make it seem more favorable to their preferred candidates
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in negotiated
to plan out usually with subtle skill or care
manipulated the schedule of presidential primaries so that the choice of the party elders would win the nomination
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Recent Examples of manipulated
Daniel Arkin, NBC news, 24 Oct. 2025
Jessica Golden, CNBC, 30 Mar. 2026
All the components of Ursa’s dishes are foraged or harvested in the desert and manipulated in surprising and experimental ways.
—John Leos, AZCentral.com, 29 Mar. 2026
At its best, reality TV thrives as one of the few television formats that allow genuine insight into the fleshy underbelly of human behavior — albeit edited and manipulated to a producer’s satisfaction.
—Shamira Ibrahim, HollywoodReporter, 25 Mar. 2026
But there are an enormous number of people who know none of this and a lot of those people are the ones being manipulated.
—Stuart Miller, Los Angeles Times, 24 Mar. 2026
The college has built out a simulation classroom setup, where students are trained on a simulated air traffic control tower that can be manipulated by their educators.
—Dillon Thomas, CBS News, 23 Mar. 2026
This suggests that most people getting banned aren’t being reported by other users, but flagged by algorithms or AI—perhaps for offensive language, for photos that appear manipulated or fake, or for behavior that suggests the account belongs to a bot and not a real person.
—Annie Joy Williams, The Atlantic, 23 Mar. 2026
To avoid detection by streaming platforms, Smith spread his automated, manipulated streams across thousands of different songs, knowing that concentrating streams on a single track would be flagged, according to the federal prosecutor’s office.
—Charlotte Observer, 20 Mar. 2026
During this time, Duggar manipulated the victim’s underwear and grazed her genitals.
—Ellise Shafer, Variety, 19 Mar. 2026
Adjective
Mazzola, 43, also allegedly participated in an armed robbery to steal a manipulated shuffling machine.
—Daniel Arkin, NBC news, 24 Oct. 2025
Verb
The examples provided in the letter of events that could be easily manipulated by a single person included whether a kicker would miss a field goal, a quarterback’s first pass being incomplete or a receiver missing their first target.
—Jessica Golden, CNBC, 30 Mar. 2026
All the components of Ursa’s dishes are foraged or harvested in the desert and manipulated in surprising and experimental ways.
—John Leos, AZCentral.com, 29 Mar. 2026
At its best, reality TV thrives as one of the few television formats that allow genuine insight into the fleshy underbelly of human behavior — albeit edited and manipulated to a producer’s satisfaction.
—Shamira Ibrahim, HollywoodReporter, 25 Mar. 2026
But there are an enormous number of people who know none of this and a lot of those people are the ones being manipulated.
—Stuart Miller, Los Angeles Times, 24 Mar. 2026
The college has built out a simulation classroom setup, where students are trained on a simulated air traffic control tower that can be manipulated by their educators.
—Dillon Thomas, CBS News, 23 Mar. 2026
This suggests that most people getting banned aren’t being reported by other users, but flagged by algorithms or AI—perhaps for offensive language, for photos that appear manipulated or fake, or for behavior that suggests the account belongs to a bot and not a real person.
—Annie Joy Williams, The Atlantic, 23 Mar. 2026
To avoid detection by streaming platforms, Smith spread his automated, manipulated streams across thousands of different songs, knowing that concentrating streams on a single track would be flagged, according to the federal prosecutor’s office.
—Charlotte Observer, 20 Mar. 2026
During this time, Duggar manipulated the victim’s underwear and grazed her genitals.
—Ellise Shafer, Variety, 19 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for manipulated
Adjective
-
Without much public debate or planning, these semi-engineered levees took on a critical and unintended role.—
Farshid Vahedifard,
The Conversation,
29 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
Other social welfare programs have safety valves to protect weak, incapacitated or disabled clients from being exploited by people in power.—
Carol Marbin Miller,
Miami Herald,
2 Apr. 2026
-
Regardless of their work ethic, intellect and creativity, capital has always exploited them but never been willing to partner with them.—
Jacob Walthour,
New York Daily News,
2 Apr. 2026
Verb
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When sperms managed to reach the eggs, the ensuing early-stage embryos, called blastocysts, initially appeared stronger than their counterparts conceived in gravity.—
Tereza Pultarova,
Space.com,
27 Mar. 2026
-
Gilbert has also consistently been a law enforcement target, but has thus far managed to avoid lengthy prison terms.—
Nate Gartrell,
Mercury News,
27 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Verve Talent and Literary Agency’s Amy Beecroft negotiated the deal on behalf of Hideout with Vertical’s Tony Piantedosion.—
K.J. Yossman,
Variety,
1 Apr. 2026
-
As someone whose boundaries could be negotiated away.—
Mekishana Pierre,
Entertainment Weekly,
31 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
The company in 2020 pleaded guilty to distributing adulterated ice-cream products and agreed to pay a fine over the outbreak.—
Dylan Tokar,
WSJ,
2 Feb. 2023
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And while most of those overdoses involved the illicit synthetic opioid fentanyl, experts say that an adulterated and contaminated drug supply is also leading to deaths.—
Nadia Kounang,
CNN,
17 Mar. 2022
Verb
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Klipsch Austin Portable Bluetooth Speaker Deal Don't be deceived by the small Klipsch Austin portable speaker.—
George Yang,
PC Magazine,
24 Mar. 2026
-
Svetlana Petriychuk wrote the play Finist, the Brave Falcon, based on real events, about Russian women deceived into marrying ISIS fighters and traveling to Syria.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
18 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The construction was even handled by the fourth-generation Obayashi family, the same company who built the original structure nearly 90 years ago.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
3 Apr. 2026
-
One probe into Rabell’s welfare was handled by the adult protection program.—
Carol Marbin Miller,
Miami Herald,
2 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The vendors could be selling from tents arranged in the parking lot surrounding a local community center or city hall.—
C.W. Cameron,
AJC.com,
28 Mar. 2026
-
The next iteration of Omar’s tetela will be filled with fresh fava beans and arranged with mushrooms.—
Bill Addison,
Los Angeles Times,
28 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Manipulated.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/manipulated. Accessed 4 Apr. 2026.
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