as in cunning
clever at attaining one's ends by indirect and often deceptive means
the novel is about an elderly man and his scheming son who is impatient to inherit the family fortune
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in plotting
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
as in conniving
to engage in a secret plan to accomplish evil or unlawful ends
the town inspector had schemed to overlook the contractor's code violations in exchange for a substantial bribe
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of scheming
Demetris Nellas, BostonGlobe.com, 10 Jan. 2023
Dan Aykroyd and Eddie Murphy get revenge on two scheming executives.
—Aj Willingham, CNN, 23 Dec. 2022
Ilana Gordon, Entertainment Weekly, 10 Feb. 2026
Sandoval is both behind and in front of the camera in Moonglow, playing a scheming if ultimately tenderhearted femme fatale with the classic film noir name of Dahlia.
—Jordan Mintzer, HollywoodReporter, 4 Feb. 2026
Pat Beall, Sun Sentinel, 13 Mar. 2026
Highly theatrical and exceedingly ambitious, Jocelyn can frequently be found breaking out into song or scheming for ways to elevate her family’s status.
—Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 10 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for scheming
Adjective
Many viewed him as being manipulated by his scheming mother, dowager Queen Frederica.
—Demetris Nellas, BostonGlobe.com, 10 Jan. 2023
Dan Aykroyd and Eddie Murphy get revenge on two scheming executives.
—Aj Willingham, CNN, 23 Dec. 2022
Noun
As the friends and business rivals debate their level of responsibility and decide on a course of action, the weekend descends into scheming, politicking, and violence.
—Ilana Gordon, Entertainment Weekly, 10 Feb. 2026
Sandoval is both behind and in front of the camera in Moonglow, playing a scheming if ultimately tenderhearted femme fatale with the classic film noir name of Dahlia.
—Jordan Mintzer, HollywoodReporter, 4 Feb. 2026
Verb
The chief defect of Cleta Mitchell Is scheming much and proving little.
—Pat Beall, Sun Sentinel, 13 Mar. 2026
Highly theatrical and exceedingly ambitious, Jocelyn can frequently be found breaking out into song or scheming for ways to elevate her family’s status.
—Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 10 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for scheming
Recent Examples of Synonyms for scheming
Adjective
-
In state media comedy shows, jokes about Putin are told from time to time, but they are used to bolster his image as a powerful, cunning leader, and hold up Russia as a great country.—
Neringa Klumbytė,
The Conversation,
4 Mar. 2026
-
These ambitious, cunning, and often amoral Cold War operatives were usually marginal or even inconsequential figures at home.—
Alfred McCoy,
Literary Hub,
26 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
But her character succumbs to Ducournau’s convoluted plotting.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Mar. 2026
-
In its plotting and structure, this often feels less like a series than a two-hour movie that’s been stretched to fill eight 45-minute episodes on the rationale that the latter would be easier to greenlight than the former.—
Angie Han,
HollywoodReporter,
26 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Marvin’s a cute little mushroom living in a cozy home beneath a mighty cedar tree.—
Mary Ann Grossmann,
Twin Cities,
28 Mar. 2026
-
Dry off and look cute at the same time with Katydid beach or gym towels.—
Tory Johnson,
ABC News,
28 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
In a separate incident last week, an F-35 stealth fighter made an emergency landing.—
Chris Looft,
ABC News,
27 Mar. 2026
-
To preserve stealth and the element of surprise, the operators might create a staging ground several miles from their objective, which might include building a makeshift landing strip.—
Sheena Samu,
CBS News,
27 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Even though researchers have found no evidence that contemporary populations use one hemisphere of the brain any more than the other, every part of this picture is presented with slick confidence.—
Becca Rothfeld,
New Yorker,
30 Mar. 2026
-
With water constantly dripping from above, the surface was slick and unstable.—
Brit McCandless Farmer,
CBS News,
29 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
White rejects that the NDAs created secrecy.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
27 Mar. 2026
-
The Republicans requested precinct-level voting to ensure ballot secrecy, Evans has said.—
Claire Osborn,
Austin American Statesman,
24 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Scheming.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scheming. Accessed 2 Apr. 2026.
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