underhanded

American  

[uhn-der-han-did] / ˈʌn dərˈhæn dɪd /

adjective

1. not open and aboveboard; secret and crafty or dishonorable.

   The firm's underhanded tactics and misrepresentation of data has created uncertainty and confusion.

2. underhand.

   The pitcher made an underhanded throw to first base.

3. short-handed.

   By the time of the Navy game, Army usually finds itself underhanded.

---

underhanded British  

/ ˌʌndəˈhændɪd /

adjective

1. another word for underhand short-handed

---

Other Word Forms

• underhandedly
  adverb
• underhandedness
  noun

Etymology

Origin of underhanded

First recorded in 1820–25; under- + handed

Explanation

Use the adjective underhanded to describe someone who plays dirty tricks, like a cheating poker player or a manipulative classmate. It would be underhanded to spread gossip about your opponent during a student council election, just as it's underhanded for a business owner to pay herself more while laying off workers. If it's unfair and sneaky, it's underhanded — unless you're pitching a softball, in which case you're simply throwing it from below your shoulder instead of above.

Example Sentences

Underhanded real estate salesmen sink to varying levels of deceit in order to sell their dubious properties.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 24, 2020

Underhanded Often incorrectly used for underhand; as "That was a contemptible and underhanded trick."

From Slips of Speech : a Helpful Book for Everyone Who Aspires to Correct the Everyday Errors of Speaking by Bechtel, John Hendricks

Underhanded influence was brought to bear on the Governor, and the appointment was given to another.

From Shorty McCabe on the Job by Ford, Sewell

Related Words

• devious
• dishonest
• fraudulent
• shady
• sneaky
• subversive
• unethical
• unscrupulous
• wily