Manipulative

//məˈnɪp.jə.leɪ.tɪv// adj, noun

adj, noun ·Uncommon ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    A manipulable object designed to demonstrate a mathematical concept.

    "Some children need manipulatives to learn math basics, Dr. Clements said, but only as a starting point."

Adjective
  1. 1
    Using manipulation purposefully.

    "As in much of biology, the most satisfying truths in ecology derive from manipulative experimentation. Tinker with nature and quantify how it responds."

  2. 2
    Tending to manipulate.
  3. 3
    Reaching one's goals at the expense of other people by using them. derogatory

    "You manipulative bitch!"

Adjective
  1. 1
    skillful in influencing or controlling others to your own advantage wordnet

Synonyms

All synonyms
artfulcalculatingcontrollingloadedshrewd

Example

More examples

"Mary is a manipulative control freak."

Etymology

From manipulate + -ive.

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.