underhanded
Americanadjective
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not open and aboveboard; secret and crafty or dishonorable.
The firm's underhanded tactics and misrepresentation of data has created uncertainty and confusion.
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The pitcher made an underhanded throw to first base.
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By the time of the Navy game, Army usually finds itself underhanded.
adjective
Other Word Forms
- underhandedly adverb
- underhandedness noun
Etymology
Origin of underhanded
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Becket’s childhood friend Julia, played as an adult by a suitably underhanded Margaret Qualley, marries another man but keeps popping into Becket’s life with femme-fatale vibes.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 19, 2026
He’s dealing with the laws of the state, and by employing the kind of underhanded tactics that might have worked in a familial context, he has opened himself to legal consequences.
From MarketWatch • Nov. 11, 2025
We’re here to do some blatantly underhanded business deals and take an outdated gas-guzzling 747 off your hands.
From Salon • Jun. 1, 2025
"Nigerian authorities are not unaware of this underhanded move," Gen Tchiani was quoted as saying by AFP.
From BBC • Dec. 27, 2024
She may be selfish, stingy and underhanded, but she’ll readily back down as long as you don’t provoke her and make her unreasonable.
From "The Diary of a Young Girl" by Anne Frank
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
