underhanded
underhanded Lexical Profile
underhanded Game Scores & Validity
• adjective
Acting or done in a secret, dishonest, or deceitful manner.
"The company was fined heavily for using underhanded tactics to eliminate its smaller competitors."
Executed with the hand or arm brought forward and upward from below the level of the shoulder.
"She practiced her underhanded serve until she could place the ball accurately in the back corner of the court."
Lacking the required or usual number of workers; short-handed.
"The hospital ward was severely underhanded during the holiday weekend."
• adverb
With an upward motion of the hand and arm from below the level of the shoulder.
"He tossed the softball underhanded so his young daughter could hit it easily."
Word Nuance & Usage
Both "underhand" and "underhanded" are used in the figurative sense of "deceitful," though "underhanded" is far more common in American English for this meaning, while "underhand" is preferred globally for the physical throwing motion in sports.
• Rhymes for underhanded
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
First recorded in the late 16th century as an extension of "underhand," combining "under-" (suggesting secrecy or concealment) with "hand" and the adjectival suffix "-ed."