underhand

[uhn-der-hand] / ˈʌn dərˌhænd /

ADJECTIVE

deceitful

Synonyms

STRONG

underhanded

WEAK

clandestine concealed crafty crooked cunning deceptive devious dirty-dealing dishonest dishonorable double-crossing duplicitous fraudulent furtive guileful hush-hush indirect insidious oblique on the Q.T. on the quiet secret secretive shady shifty slippery sly sneaking sneaky stealthy sub-rosa surreptitious treacherous tricky two-faced two-timing under wraps undercover unethical unfair unjust unscrupulous wily

Antonyms

WEAK

aboveboard forthright frank honest

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.

Mick Antoniw, MS for Pontypridd and former counsel general for Wales, said he was "really quite angry because I thought it was quite an underhand memo".

From BBC • Mar. 11, 2026

Donovan Mitchell threw a 50-foot inbounds pass underhand, Bam Adebayo inbounded a ball off Nikola Jokic’s backside before dribbling downcourt and making a 3, and Devin Booker went through pregame with a hat on backwards.

From Seattle Times • Feb. 18, 2024

Finally, the coach held a ball high over his head and announced: “Wouldn’t want anyone else in the world leading us,” and flipped an underhand pass to Stafford as the team erupted.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 22, 2023

"The case against Mr Mackintosh is that he received those donations knowing that Mr Grossman was doing it in that underhand way."

From BBC • Oct. 24, 2023

Jax tosses her an easy underhand ball, and Madge catches it with a slap against leather.

From "Muffled" by Jennifer Gennari

Vocabulary lists containing underhand

Physical Education - Introductory

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Physical Education - Middle School and High School

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Florida's B.E.S.T. Common Prefixes: under-

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