schemer

American  

[skee-mer] / ˈski mər /

noun

1. someone who devises plans or plots, especially underhanded ones.

   She is one of the memorable characters in literature, a born schemer and social climber unencumbered by any need to tell the truth.

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Etymology

Origin of schemer

scheme ( def. ) + -er ¹

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

schemer

She won her first film role in 1963’s “13 Frightened Girls” as a diplomat’s daughter but found greater renown as a backstabbing schemer on the ABC soap “Peyton Place” a few years later.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 16, 2026

Duer was also an inveterate speculator and get-rich-quick schemer: “king of the alley,” as Thomas Jefferson derisively referred External link to Wall Street.

From Barron's ● Mar. 1, 2026

Once again, a boy from here teams up with a girl from there to defeat a villainous schemer bent on cruel domination.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 12, 2025

There may be no better time for a schemer like Ashur to be resurrected from the underworld.

From Salon ● Dec. 7, 2025

In order to get the things I want, it helps me to pretend I'm a figure in a daytime drama, a schemer.

From "Me Talk Pretty One Day" by David Sedaris

Related Words

• rascal
• rogue