underhanded
Americanadjective
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not open and aboveboard; secret and crafty or dishonorable.
The firm's underhanded tactics and misrepresentation of data has created uncertainty and confusion.
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The pitcher made an underhanded throw to first base.
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By the time of the Navy game, Army usually finds itself underhanded.
adjective
Other Word Forms
- underhandedly adverb
- underhandedness noun
Etymology
Origin of underhanded
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.
“It was an underhanded thing to do,” Roach said, “and they knew that it would be controversial.”
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 18, 2026
Duncan appeared confident and poised as he took underhanded tosses from a team manager and fired passes, even bopping his head ever so slightly as Blink-182’s “All the Small Things” blared over the stadium loudspeakers.
From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 15, 2025
He’s dealing with the laws of the state, and by employing the kind of underhanded tactics that might have worked in a familial context, he has opened himself to legal consequences.
From MarketWatch • Nov. 11, 2025
Shaquille O'Neal, when advised by Barry to "granny throw" in response to his poor 52% record, summed up the problem: "I'd shoot 0% before I'd shoot underhanded."
From BBC • Apr. 14, 2025
In desperation, Percy scooped up a giant marble and hurled it underhanded like a bowling ball.
From "The Mark of Athena" by Rick Riordan
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.
