manipulative
Americanadjective
-
influencing or attempting to influence the behavior or emotions of others for one’s own purposes.
a manipulative boss.
-
of or relating to manipulation of objects or parts of the body; serving to manipulate.
spinal manipulative therapy.
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
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.
Vocabulary lists containing manipulative
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Negative Words to Describe People
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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.
Ann Blyth, who was nominated for an Academy Award for playing the wicked, manipulative daughter in the 1945 noir melodrama “Mildred Pierce,” has died at age 98.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 27, 2026
According to TikTok’s community guidelines, the platform bans accounts engaging in deceptive or manipulative activity or discrimination.
From Barron's • Jun. 18, 2026
This supposedly low-danger assignment proves anything but for Kendal, as the manipulative Rico plays his own double game.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 5, 2026
Marns describes Figg as a "manipulative" man who would lie at any opportunity to cover himself.
From BBC • Apr. 24, 2026
Shouldn’t we applaud any effort, regardless of how minor or manipulative, that makes even one child safer?
From "Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything" by Steven D. Levitt
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.
