underhanded meaning

underhanded means 'not honest or fair; deceitful'.

underhanded :

dishonest, deceitful

adjective

▪ He used underhanded tactics to win the game.

▪ He used dishonest tactics to win the game.

▪ Her underhanded behavior was noticed by everyone.

▪ Her deceitful behavior was noticed by everyone.

paraphrasing

▪ dishonest – deceitful

▪ deceitful – dishonest

▪ sneaky – deceitful

▪ devious – sneaky

underhanded

Pronunciation

underhanded [ˌʌn.dərˈhæn.dɪd]

The stress is on 'hand' and sounds like 'un-dər-HAN-did'.

Common phrases and grammar about underhanded

underhanded - Common meaning

adjective
dishonest, deceitful

Part of Speech Changes for "underhanded"

▪ underhandness (noun) – deceitful behavior

▪ underhandly (adverb) – in a deceitful way

Common Expressions with "underhanded"

▪ underhanded tactics – deceitful methods

▪ sign an underhanded deal – make a dishonest agreement

▪ use underhanded methods – employ deceitful ways

▪ in an underhanded manner – acting deceitfully

Important examples of underhanded in TOEIC

Vocabulary examples from the TOEIC test

In TOEIC word questions, underhanded is used to describe dishonesty or deceit.

▪He was fired for using underhanded methods.
▪He was fired for using deceitful methods.

Example of a confusing word: understated (subtle or restrained)

▪He was fired for using understated methods.
▪He was fired for using subtle methods.
"Underhanded" is an adjective meaning "dishonest" or "deceitful," often used to describe unethical tactics or actions. In the sentence "He was fired for using underhanded methods," the word correctly conveys that the methods were deceitful. "Understated," however, means "subtle" or "restrained," and using it in the sentence "He was fired for using understated methods" is grammatically incorrect and changes the meaning to something unrelated to dishonesty. Therefore, "underhanded" is the correct choice.

Grammar examples from the TOEIC test

Underhanded is used as an adjective to describe nouns; grammar questions may test its correct placement in a sentence.

▪The manager rejected his underhanded proposal.
▪The manager rejected his deceitful proposal.

underhanded

Idioms and fixed expressions in TOEIC

underhanded tactics

▪The company was accused of using underhanded tactics to eliminate competition.
▪The company was accused of using deceitful methods to eliminate competition.

underhanded deal

▪They made an underhanded deal to fix the prices.
▪They made a deceitful agreement to set the prices.

Differences between similar words and underhanded

underhanded

,

dishonest

differences

underhanded is used to describe secret or sneaky dishonesty, while dishonest is a general term for not being honest.

underhanded
▪His underhanded tactics were exposed.
▪His dishonest tactics were exposed.
dishonest
▪dishonest
▪They are generally considered dishonest.

underhanded

,

deceitful

differences

underhanded is more about secretive actions, whereas deceitful refers to someone who habitually deceives others.

underhanded
▪She used an underhanded method to win the competition.
▪She is known to be deceitful in her business dealings.
deceitful
▪deceitful
▪She is known to be deceitful in her business dealings.

Words with the same origin as underhanded

The origin of underhanded

The word 'underhanded' comes from the term 'underhand,' meaning secretive or deceitful actions.

Word structure

The word is composed of the prefix 'under', the root 'hand', and the suffix 'ed', so 'underhanded' means 'done with the hand underneath', implying secrecy.

Words with the same origin

The word's root is 'hand'. Words with the same root include 'handle', 'handbook', 'handshake', and 'handmade'.

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