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
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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
Any such legislative legerdemain would be an unwarranted assault to circumvent the caps.
—
State Senator Stephen Harding, Hartford Courant, 26 Feb. 2024
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
See All Example Sentences for legerdemain
State Senator Stephen Harding, Hartford Courant, 26 Feb. 2024
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
See All Example Sentences for legerdemain
Recent Examples of Synonyms for legerdemain
Noun
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Freya — one of the most powerful and beloved deities in Norse mythology — is the goddess of love, beauty, fertility and magic.—
Valerie Mesa,
People.com,
22 Mar. 2025
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Replicating the magic of Robin Williams is an impossible task, so director Guy Ritchie’s live-action Aladdin wisely went in a totally different direction by casting Will Smith as their version of the Genie.—
Staff Author,
EW.com,
22 Mar. 2025
Noun
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In another case, Balmer pleaded guilty in 2016 to forgery and theft by deception charges, court documents show.—
Zoe Sottile,
CNN Money,
14 Apr. 2025
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Imposter syndrome is an internal struggle with feeling like a fraud despite being qualified, whereas career catfishing is an active deception.—
Cheryl Robinson,
Forbes.com,
13 Apr. 2025
Noun
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That narrative decision fits with Saxon’s ethos to use real skills (sculpting, puppetry, painting) and not only computer trickery to accomplish their lofty goals.—
Carlos Aguilar,
Variety,
27 Jan. 2025
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Criticisms and claims of trickery are at times pointed out.—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes.com,
4 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Other times, the responsible parties engage in active subterfuge.—
Sarah Stillman,
New Yorker,
14 Apr. 2025
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His delivery of Mantel’s dialogue—modern, intelligent, bristling with implication and subterfuge—is mesmerizingly clear.—
Taylor Antrim,
Vogue,
20 Mar. 2025
Noun
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Because of that treachery Castor was a pure mortal, but Pollux was a half god.—
Mike Lynch,
Twin Cities,
6 Apr. 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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Jane was a devout Protestant at a time of religious upheaval, the ultimate innocent victim of the chicanery of the Tudor court in the chaotic aftermath of Henry VIII’s reign.—
Pan Pylas,
Chicago Tribune,
9 Mar. 2025
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The more processes and services a security tool contains, the more opportunities for such chicanery.—
PCMAG,
PCMAG,
4 Mar. 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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Despite being outnumbered 50-to-1 by the Five Families of the Italian mafia, the Westies’ legendary brutality and cunning have given them the leverage necessary to share the spoils through a fragile détente.—
Nellie Andreeva,
Deadline,
18 Mar. 2025
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Noted for his tenacity and cunning, Khamenei is also a man of conviction, and his hatred for the United States is deeply felt.—
Foreign Affairs,
Foreign Affairs,
25 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Legerdemain.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/legerdemain. Accessed 20 Apr. 2025.
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