underhanded

[ uhn-der-han-did ]

/ ˈʌn dərˈhæn dɪd /

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See synonyms for underhanded on Thesaurus.com

adjective

not open and aboveboard; secret and crafty or dishonorable: The firm's underhanded tactics and misrepresentation of data has created uncertainty and confusion.

underhand (def. 1): The pitcher made an underhanded throw to first base.

short-handed: By the time of the Navy game, Army usually finds itself underhanded.

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Origin of underhanded

First recorded in 1820–25; under- + handed

OTHER WORDS FROM underhanded

un·der·hand·ed·ly, adverbun·der·hand·ed·ness, noun

Words nearby underhanded

undergrown, undergrowth, underhair, underhand, underhand chop, underhanded, underhoused, underhung, underinsurance, underinsure, underinsured

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use underhanded in a sentence

The shot slung up underhanded with his sneakers some 6 inches off the floor.
We Don’t Talk Enough About Nikola Jokić’s Scoring|Robert O'Connell|March 28, 2022|FiveThirtyEight
Even the underhanded free throw shooter Rick Barry gets a couple of pages.
Dissecting athletic greatness: Nature, nurture, lucky breaks and a ‘quiet eye’|Liz Robbins|December 11, 2020|Washington Post
As a result, the inexperienced can find themselves earning well below minimum wage, or abused by underhanded employers.
Amazon’s Turkers Kick Off the First Crowdsourced Labor Guild|Kevin Zawacki|December 3, 2014|DAILY BEAST
What I think is a cool part of the scene is that Lane comes in there for completely underhanded, selfish reasons.
‘Mad Men’: Matthew Weiner and Christina Hendricks Dissect 5 Scenes From ‘The Other Woman’|Jace Lacob|August 8, 2012|DAILY BEAST

Take that, insidious rumormongers suggesting you were doing anything underhanded.
Your Week: What the Stars Hold|Starsky + Cox|September 4, 2011|DAILY BEAST
There is something underhanded about the deal or he would have come to me with the money.
Tabitha at Ivy Hall|Ruth Alberta Brown
Now our artist is plainly worried and wants to be assured there is nothing underhanded being done.
Polly the Pagan|Isabel Anderson
I know Mr. Stern, the president of Apex, very well, and I'm positive that he wouldn't stand for any underhanded tactics.
Tom Swift and His Giant Telescope|Victor Appleton
He picked up a rifle an inch below the foresight with an underhanded action, and used it exactly as a man would use a dagger.
Soldier Stories|Rudyard Kipling
If Sir Lewis had wanted to get Harris, he'd have done it legally, without any underhanded frame-ups.
The Penal Cluster|Ivar Jorgensen (AKA Randall Garrett)

British Dictionary definitions for underhanded

underhanded

/ (ˌʌndəˈhændɪd) /

adjective

another word for underhand, short-handed

Derived forms of underhanded

underhandedly, adverbunderhandedness, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

underhanded

Origin of underhanded

OTHER WORDS FROM underhanded

Words nearby underhanded

Words related to underhanded

How to use underhanded in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for underhanded

Derived forms of underhanded