UNDERHANDED


Meaning of UNDERHANDED in English

un ‧ der ‧ hand 1 /ˌʌndəˈhænd◂ $ ˈʌndərhænd/ BrE AmE ( also un‧der‧hand‧ed /ˌʌndəˈhændəd, ˌʌndəˈhændɪd $ ˌʌndər-/) adjective

[ Word Family: noun : ↑ hand , ↑ handful ; adjective : ↑ underhand , ↑ handy ; verb : ↑ hand ; adverb : ↑ handily ]

dishonest and done secretly:

They did it all in such an underhand way.

He’s been involved in some underhand dealings.

⇨ ↑ overhand

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THESAURUS

▪ dishonest behaving in a way that is intended to deceive people, for example by lying, cheating, or stealing:

Are you accusing me of being dishonest?

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The money was acquired through dishonest means.

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People are no longer surprised to find that politicians are dishonest.

▪ corrupt using your power in a dishonest way for your own advantage – used about people in official positions:

corrupt politicians

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Law and order has broken down, and most government officials are corrupt.

▪ devious /ˈdiːviəs/ good at secretly thinking of clever plans to trick people in order to get what you want:

You have a very devious mind!

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They use all kinds of devious methods to find out your personal details.

▪ underhand British English , underhanded American English underhand methods involve secretly deceiving people in order to get what you want:

In a series of underhand moves, Browne managed to gain control of the company.

▪ sneaky doing or saying things secretly, in a way that seems wrong because it is slightly dishonest or unfair:

It was pretty sneaky when the bank charged me interest on my account without telling me.

▪ sly deliberately behaving in a way that hides what you are really thinking or doing, in a way that is slightly dishonest:

Lucy decided not to tell him where she was going. She was often a bit sly like that.

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He’s a sly old fox.

▪ unscrupulous /ʌnˈskruːpjələs, ʌnˈskruːpjʊləs/ using dishonest and unfair methods to get what you want, without caring if you harm other people:

Some unscrupulous companies try to persuade people to borrow huge sums of money.

▪ fraudulent /ˈfrɔːdjələnt, ˈfrɔːdjʊlənt $ ˈfrɒːdʒə-/ formal deliberately deceiving people in an illegal way in order to gain money or power:

You will be prosecuted if you make a fraudulent claim on your insurance policy.

Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English.      Longman - Словарь современного английского языка.