manipulation
manipulation Lexical Profile
manipulation Game Scores & Validity
• noun
The action of controlling, influencing, or exploiting someone or a situation in a clever, unfair, or unscrupulous manner.
"The documentary exposed the subtle manipulation of public opinion through targeted social media campaigns."
The skillful handling, operation, or adjustment of a physical object, tool, or material, or the manual treatment of a body part in physical therapy.
"Gentle chiropractic manipulation of the spine helped relieve the patient's chronic lower back stiffness."
The systematic processing, editing, or transformation of data, images, or genetic material, either for legitimate analysis or to falsify results.
"Modern spreadsheet software makes the organization and manipulation of large financial datasets remarkably fast."
Word Nuance & Usage
While 'manipulation' carries a neutral or positive meaning in technical, medical, and scientific contexts (referring to skillful physical handling or data processing), in everyday social and political discourse it almost always implies deceitful or exploitative psychological control.
• Rhymes for manipulation
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed in the early 18th century from French manipulation, originally a chemistry and mining term for handling apparatus by hand, derived from Medieval Latin manipulatio, from Latin manipulus ('handful'), a compound of manus ('hand') and the root of plere ('to fill').