SCHEMING Synonyms: 188 Similar and Opposite Words

scheming 1 of 3

adjective

ˈskē-miŋ

Definition of scheming

as in cunning

clever at attaining one's ends by indirect and often deceptive means the novel is about an elderly man and his scheming son who is impatient to inherit the family fortune

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

scheming

2 of 3

noun

as in plotting

Related Words

Dissimilar Words

scheming

3 of 3

verb

present participle of scheme

as in conniving

to engage in a secret plan to accomplish evil or unlawful ends the town inspector had schemed to overlook the contractor's code violations in exchange for a substantial bribe

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of scheming

Adjective

The doors that slam, as farcical doors are built to do, open to work spaces, where a good deal of time is spent scheming and counter-scheming. — Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 7 Feb. 2025 Many viewed him as being manipulated by his scheming mother, dowager Queen Frederica. — Demetris Nellas, BostonGlobe.com, 10 Jan. 2023

Noun

At trial, Barisone presented himself as the victim of scheming. — Ian Parker, New Yorker, 14 Sep. 2026 Skillfully insinuating actors on the order of Tom Hollander (Treasurer Robert Hales) and Stephen Dillane (Archbishop Sudbury) add some spice to the film’s periodic seminars in court scheming and skulking. — Michael Phillips, Variety, 9 Sep. 2026

Verb

Retaliation is not unheard of in higher education and fear of scheming colleagues is common. — Kevin Rennie, Hartford Courant, 26 Sep. 2026 To this day, third-party researchers continue to uncover more evidence of how OpenAI's models were secretly scheming and developing ways to hack Hugging Face. — Michael Kan, PC Magazine, 25 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for scheming

Recent Examples of Synonyms for scheming

Adjective

Magpies are opportunistic scavengers, incredibly cunning and deceitful and capable of calculated deception.

— Voice of the People, New York Daily News, 28 Sep. 2026
Last week, Alan Cumming’s cunning competition empire The Traitors unsheathed its most diabolical twist yet.

— Rebecca Alter, Vulture, 24 Sep. 2026

Definition of cunning

Noun

Deft plotting, vivid characterization, and murky shenanigans power this relentlessly entertaining tale.

— Monitor reviewers, Christian Science Monitor, 19 Oct. 2026
After that, Grace all but disappears from Crystal Lake, exposing the haphazard plotting of a show that refuses to commit.

— Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of plotting

Adjective

At their on-screen meet cute, Apatow hands Bamford $500 cash just to pitch her on her own documentary.

— Tony Maglio, HollywoodReporter, 23 Oct. 2026
The showstopper is a very cute idea where each baker has to make a dessert cart with at least three classic desserts on it.

— Brian Moylan, Vulture, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of cute

Noun

Solar and batteries target continuous power Ambrosia emerged from stealth in June with a plan to build power plants serving data centers.

— Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 15 Oct. 2026
Through patience, stealth, and smart use of supplies for crafting, survival is achievable, but this isn’t a bug hunt with the Colonial Marines.

— Fran Ruiz, Space.com, 11 Oct. 2026

Definition of stealth

Adjective

Walid Itayim plays a free and funky guitar solo over Sami Shabshab’s slick bassline, but the lyrics pierce straight through the upbeat tune.

— Shy Clara Thompson, Pitchfork, 23 Oct. 2026
And belief isn’t manufactured by marketing departments, slick hype videos or breathless preseason predictions.

— Mike Bianchi, The Orlando Sentinel, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of slick

Noun

But the process was shrouded in secrecy because working with Nolan is an in-person process.

— Jazz Tangcay, Variety, 22 Oct. 2026
On the same day that Uthmeier petitioned to have the ads stopped, the Republican Party of Florida warned television station managers that the ad about Uthmeier could be violating a grand jury secrecy law.

— Justin Garcia, Miami Herald, 21 Oct. 2026

Definition of secrecy

Cite this Entry

Style

“Scheming.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scheming. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of scheming

adjective

noun

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

milieu

Popular in Grammar & Usage

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Popular in Wordplay

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'

'Za' and 9 Other Words to Help You Win at SCRABBLE

Popular

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Games & Quizzes