gamesmanship

[geymz-muhn-ship]

noun

1. the use of methods, especially in a sports contest, that are dubious or seemingly improper but not strictly illegal.

2. the technique or practice of manipulating people or events so as to gain an advantage or outwit one's opponents or competitors.

gamesmanship

/ ˈɡeɪmzmənˌʃɪp /

noun

1. informal,  the art of winning games or defeating opponents by clever or cunning practices without actually cheating

Other Word Forms

• gamesman noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of gamesmanship¹

1945–50; game ¹ + -s ³ + -manship, perhaps on the model of sportsmanship

Example Sentences

"It's a bit of gamesmanship," Schmidt said on Saturday evening, before defending his team's record.

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Republicans and conservative voters oppose the measure by framing it as partisan gamesmanship orchestrated by Governor Newsom rather than a principled response to out-of-state actions.

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“While a truce is likely….both sides are engaging in gamesmanship,” wrote the pair.

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But Bruce Springsteen and the raw, stripped-down recordings of his 1982 “Nebraska” album seem earnestly in opposition to such artless gamesmanship.

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But others worry about the integrity of electoral outcomes across the nation if political parties in every state resort to naked political gamesmanship to gain control.

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Related Words

• gimmick 
• one-upmanship 
• ploy 
• ruse 
• subterfuge 
• wile