manipulative

American  

[muh-nip-yuh-lay-tiv, -yuh-luh-tiv] / məˈnɪp jəˌleɪ tɪv, -jə lə tɪv /

adjective

1. influencing or attempting to influence the behavior or emotions of others for one’s own purposes.

   a manipulative boss.

2. of or relating to manipulation of objects or parts of the body; serving to manipulate.

   spinal manipulative therapy.

---

noun

• manipulatives
  plural

1. Usually manipulatives any of various objects or materials that students can touch and move around in order to help them learn mathematical and other concepts.

   the use of blocks, flashcards, and other manipulatives in the classroom.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• manipulatively
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• manipulatives
  plural

---

Etymology

Origin of manipulative

First recorded in 1815–20; manipulat(e) ( def. ) + -ive ( def. )

---

Explanation

A manipulative person uses passive, sneaky strategies to get what they want, such as saying "Aren't you lucky to have all that chocolate!" when what they really want is for you to offer them one. Manipulative comes from the Latin word manus for "hand," and originally the English words that sprang from it like manipulate and manipulation referred to skill in physically handling objects by hand. The psychological sense we now associate with manipulative came much later on, but as anyone who has been successfully manipulated well knows, it often feels like you've been brilliantly manhandled.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

manipulative manipulatives

Mr. Sorkin’s writing can certainly be baldly manipulative, but in the movie at least the manipulation is effective.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 30, 2026

Arasha enjoys a few choice manipulative moves in her litany of parts, reversing situations that seem to have no obvious good outcome.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 13, 2026

Senior club sources have said they found the comments "absolutely bizarre", and that it was "at best naive and at worst quite manipulative, and that is not a good look".

From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026

Research shared with AFP by children's advocacy group 5Rights Foundation, found that "manipulative design features" -- like notifications, endless scroll and autoplay -- keep children coming back.

From Barron's ● Sep. 16, 2026

He gives amazing speeches, writes fantastic op-eds and now newspaper features, spearheads community warmth drives...and he dates a manipulative ditz.

From "The Running Dream" by Wendelin Van Draanen

“Kids should be outside, they should be playing, they should be using manipulatives and tactiles.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 19, 2026

I could suggest ways of bringing manipulatives to traditional paper and pencil mathematics.

From Slate ● Oct. 22, 2020

This philosophy--championed most famously by the Swiss developmental psychologist Jean Piaget--explains the near ubiquity of counting rods and beads, known in academic circles as manipulatives, in most grade-school classrooms.

From Time Magazine Archive

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

---

Related Words

• canny
• considerate
• devious
• scheming
• shrewd
• wily

---