underhanded

[uhn-der-han-did]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR underhanded ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

underhand.

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

Origin of underhanded

First recorded in 1800–10; under- + handed

Related formsun·der·hand·ed·ly, adverbun·der·hand·ed·ness, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for underhanded

devious, cheating, dishonest, deceitful, sneaky, subversive, wily, unscrupulous, shady, fraudulent, unethical, underhand, clandestine, corrupt, scheming, secretive, shifty, sly, guileful, covert

Examples from the Web for underhanded

Contemporary Examples of underhanded

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

Historical Examples of underhanded

How in the world did they get here, and what underhanded work are they up to now?
Dave Porter and His Rivals
Edward Stratemeyer
Literally to draw away from under, or in an underhanded way, as by stealth.
Orthography
Elmer W. Cavins
He had an innate dislike to the man, who looked furtive and underhanded.
Quicksilver
George Manville Fenn
You want to drive us out, do you, you sneakin' underhanded hound!
Roughing It
Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens)
Ef this ez any underhanded work of yours, you'll pay for it.
Cressy
Bret Harte

British Dictionary definitions for underhanded

underhanded

adjective

another word for underhand, short-handed

Derived Formsunderhandedly, 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

Word Origin and History for underhanded

adj.

in reference to a throw, etc., c.1822, from underhand. As "in secret," from 1825; as "with too few people," from 1834.