Wicked Ways: words for winning at all costs

Here are 10 colorful words to describe the immoral, the underhanded, the sly-those who will stop at nothing to get everything.
10 words 843 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. coax
    influence or persuade by gentle and persistent urging
    And he coaxed balking financiers back to the table when talks ran aground, they said.
    Wall Street Journal (May 6, 2013)
  2. cajole
    influence or urge by gentle urging, caressing, or flattering
    Ms. Ashton played a critical role, pushing both sides to cast aside envoys in favor of face-to-face talks and cajoling former sworn enemies to compromise.
    New York Times (Apr 19, 2013)
  3. wheedle
    influence or urge by gentle urging, caressing, or flattering
    Those that carry balances are better off paying in cash, or calling up their credit card issuer to wheedle a lower rate on their cards.
    Reuters (Nov 11, 2011)
  4. inveigle
    influence or urge by gentle urging, caressing, or flattering
    At an invitation-only meeting with local journalists, one spy managed to inveigle entry, before being spotted and asked to leave.
    Time (Jul 10, 2013)
  5. chicanery
    the use of tricks to deceive someone
    Typically, these firms’ criminal-defense practices focus on cases like securities fraud or accounting chicanery.
    New York Times (Jun 9, 2013)
  6. cozen
    be dishonest with
    Thou shall not be cozened, by my tears and my anguish, into any thing which thy most sober hour will repent.
    Herman Melville
  7. dodgy
    marked by skill in deception
    Governments get up to dodgy things, no doubt, but this mistakes paranoid gossip for serious investigation.
    The Guardian (May 16, 2013)
  8. cunning
    crafty artfulness, especially in deception
    Irredeemably damaged by selfish parenting, cunning, manipulative—and remorseless.
    Slate (Jun 4, 2013)
  9. furtive
    secret and sly
    No devices, so far, have full chaperone functions—such as revealing furtive movements in a stationary vehicle.
    Economist (Jan 10, 2013)
  10. surreptitious
    conducted with or marked by hidden aims or methods
    They are bought by, it is widely understood, intelligence agencies wishing to gain surreptitious, and presumably undetected, entry.
    Slate (Mar 13, 2013)
Created on Mon Jul 15 19:31:26 EDT 2013 (updated Mon Aug 04 17:16:41 EDT 2014)

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