1
as in magic
the art or skill of performing tricks or illusions for entertainment
the illusionist's show is an entertaining blend of legerdemain and over-the-top showmanship
Synonyms & Similar Words
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2
as in deception
the use of clever underhanded actions to achieve an end
the reduction of the deficit is due in part to financial legerdemain that masks the true costs of running the government
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of legerdemain
This legerdemain enabled Bragg to circumvent the two-year misdemeanor statute of limitations — in other words, the time to charge this stale case, which is based on seven-year-old bookkeeping entries, lapsed in 2019.
—
The Editors, National Review, 29 May 2024
Serious people should know what an older version of antisemitic denialism was all about: a steady stream of factual nitpicks, logical inversions and rhetorical legerdemain meant to obfuscate and deny the greatest crime in history.
—Bret Stephens, The Mercury News, 8 Mar. 2024
Flashbacks disclose Silva and Jack’s young and crazy past through a bit of cinematic legerdemain: A drunken, dissolute barrier-busting orgy with whores and wine that reenacts a bawdy scene from Sam Peckinpah’s The Wild Bunch.
—Armond White, National Review, 27 Oct. 2023
But this moment—and the final passage of the IRA itself—shows how the Senate’s rules have devolved the legislative process into an inscrutable whirligig of procedural legerdemain.
—Matt Ford, The New Republic, 9 Aug. 2022
See All Example Sentences for legerdemain
The Editors, National Review, 29 May 2024
Serious people should know what an older version of antisemitic denialism was all about: a steady stream of factual nitpicks, logical inversions and rhetorical legerdemain meant to obfuscate and deny the greatest crime in history.
—Bret Stephens, The Mercury News, 8 Mar. 2024
Flashbacks disclose Silva and Jack’s young and crazy past through a bit of cinematic legerdemain: A drunken, dissolute barrier-busting orgy with whores and wine that reenacts a bawdy scene from Sam Peckinpah’s The Wild Bunch.
—Armond White, National Review, 27 Oct. 2023
But this moment—and the final passage of the IRA itself—shows how the Senate’s rules have devolved the legislative process into an inscrutable whirligig of procedural legerdemain.
—Matt Ford, The New Republic, 9 Aug. 2022
See All Example Sentences for legerdemain
Recent Examples of Synonyms for legerdemain
Noun
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Mulligan invites Thompson — after her Misty used magic to compel the dragon to dance as a distraction — to roll for the dragon’s power to resist it.—
Eric Francisco,
Rolling Stone,
1 Mar. 2025
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And, of course, there’s more of what made Apocalypse so famous that fans were willing to travel from across Miami-Dade and line up for hours in the hot sun: brisket, ribs and other barbecue magic.—
Connie Ogle,
Miami Herald,
28 Feb. 2025
Noun
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In the beginning, each player is secretly assigned as either a Faithful or a Traitor, setting the stage for an intense game of deception, strategy and survival.—
Jordana Comiter,
People.com,
7 Mar. 2025
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After weeks of treachery and deception, the final roundtable has been viewed, and the winner or winners for The Traitors Season 3 have been revealed.—
Armando Tinoco,
Deadline,
6 Mar. 2025
Noun
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That would have been a stupid question just about anywhere else, but the exhibition was by Laura Owens, a painter with a penchant for trickery, and the venue was Matthew Marks Gallery in New York, whose press release for Owens’s latest outing offered little in the way of explanation.—
Alex Greenberger,
ARTnews.com,
24 Feb. 2025
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Astounding transformations, in which one character takes on the appearance of another, will leave you wondering how the trickery was pulled off.—
Charles McNulty,
Los Angeles Times,
21 Feb. 2025
Noun
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With a bit of guidance, navigating between the classic go-to’s and the newer dining options are scattered throughout the properties can lead to incredible culinary discoveries, plenty of popping champagne bottles and even a dash of historical subterfuge.—
Alissa Fitzgerald,
Forbes,
22 Feb. 2025
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This sequence introduces The Agency as a maze of contradictory nationalist motivations, paranoia-inducing surveillance, and prevalent subterfuge — and, in its hidden center, a love story.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
24 Jan. 2025
Noun
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Witness was his 1952 manifesto on fellow-traveling American liberals and their treachery, which emboldened the Soviet Union.—
Michael Kimmage,
Foreign Affairs,
25 Feb. 2025
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The songs typically crop up in the final act of an episode as the tensions (and treacheries) mount.—
Mark Peikert,
IndieWire,
13 Feb. 2025
Noun
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Her example teaches us how such practices can protect innocent people while preventing political chicanery from undermining faith in the American system of governance.—
Rebecca Brenner Graham / Made by History,
TIME,
4 Mar. 2025
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There will be years of political infighting, courtroom battles, and financial chicanery.—
Jeff Goodell,
Rolling Stone,
13 Feb. 2025
Noun
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Obviously, such a system is rife with uncertainty, and the history of the process is full of skulduggery, both on the club and player side.—
Tony Blengino,
Forbes,
13 Jan. 2025
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Climax became the first ever vegan cheesemaker to win a prestigious Good Food award—though dairy complaints caused the prize to be rescinded at the last minute, with shades of the protectionist, legal skulduggery faced by non-dairy milk products.—
Andrew Rosenblum,
Popular Science,
26 Dec. 2024
Noun
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For Mirren, the cunning and cruelty of Whitfield is a timely example of power corrupting absolutely.—
Hunter Ingram,
Variety,
23 Feb. 2025
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Gilded by privilege and cunning, Glinda is a popular young woman who desires to wield magic.—
Destiny Jackson,
Deadline,
23 Jan. 2025
Articles Related to legerdemain
Cite this Entry
“Legerdemain.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/legerdemain. Accessed 13 Mar. 2025.
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