CHEATING Synonyms: 316 Similar and Opposite Words

cheating 1 of 3

noun

as in deception

the inclination or practice of misleading others through lies or trickery a conscienceless adventuress who never earned anything except through cheating

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in adultery

a sexual encounter or relationship between a married person and someone other than their spouse she swore that if there was ever any cheating, she'd leave in a heartbeat

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cheating

2 of 3

adjective

as in dishonest

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Dissimilar Words

cheating

3 of 3

verb

present participle of cheat

as in misrepresenting

to use dishonest methods to achieve a goal students who cheat on tests end up never knowing anything

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as in lying

to be sexually unfaithful he suspects that his girlfriend is cheating on him

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as in disappointing

to fall short in satisfying the expectation or hope of the daredevil survived his plunge over the falls with barely a scratch, having cheated death once again

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in hustling

to rob by the use of trickery or threats a despicable confidence man who heartlessly cheated elderly people out of their savings

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of cheating

Noun

Moreno-Riaño suggested that many higher education professionals who ban AI because of potential cheating are not approaching the technology in the right way. — Rachel Wolf, FOXNews.com, 25 July 2026 Owning The Design Choice Faculty often describe the AI cheating problem as something happening to them. — Terry Oroszi, Forbes.com, 22 July 2026 Despite multiple requests from test takers and lawmakers, the DMV has not provided any details about the nature of the alleged cheating, and some of those who must take the test over feel like they’ve been unfairly accused. — Clara Harter, Los Angeles Times, 16 July 2026 But that successful act of cheating is central to Maradona’s legend, as is his defiance in the aftermath. — Ishaan Tharoor, New Yorker, 16 July 2026 This was painted in England as a cheating foreigner who refused to respect the authority of the referee, but the reality might have been a bit more nuanced. — Nick Miller, New York Times, 14 July 2026 The professor was horrified by what appeared to be massive cheating in his course—cheating that was preventing most of the students from learning the material. — Nate Anderson, ArsTechnica, 8 July 2026 The central educational challenge of the coming decade is therefore not simply preventing cheating, but rebuilding cultures in which learning itself is once again perceived as inherently valuable, personally transformative, and socially essential. — Jason Benedict, Fortune, 7 July 2026 Throughout her time on the show, Batula experienced the ups and downs of her relationship with Cooke, which included multiple cheating allegations on his part. — Armando Tinoco, Deadline, 29 June 2026

Adjective

The solution, therefore, cannot rely solely on punitive anti-cheating measures or intrusive surveillance technologies. — Jason Benedict, Fortune, 7 July 2026

Verb

But after he was accused of cheating, the school suspended him for a year and gave him an F in the course Sourcing and Managing Funds. — Nate Anderson, ArsTechnica, 31 July 2026 These two, like the cheating wife stiffing her babysitter, got too caught up in the pursuit of romance, allegedly. — Sean Joseph Outkick, FOXNews.com, 30 July 2026 The friends told police that Benedict had become possessive of Pitulic, and had accused her of cheating. — Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 30 July 2026 Something that some experts claim ended up incentivizing cheating over honestly working on the challenge. — Beatrice Nolan, Fortune, 30 July 2026 New data reveals men are twice as likely as women to use AI during job interviews, specifically tools that generate real-time answers, a practice many employers consider cheating. — Kim Elsesser, Forbes.com, 29 July 2026 During an appearance on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen alongside Kevin Hart on Monday, July 27, the Saturday Night Live star, 28, was asked by a fan about his reaction to the cheating rumor. — Gina Kalsi, PEOPLE, 28 July 2026 The rumors of cheating with addresses and recruiting players have run rampant, but many schools do it. — Chris Hays, The Orlando Sentinel, 25 July 2026 The story of a cheating husband's double life racked up more than 23 million views in its first month, reaching the top ten in 62 countries, including the US, and the number one spot in almost two dozen countries. — Kate Bartlett, NPR, 24 July 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for cheating

Noun

Recent history suggests that the only effective counter to such meddling is a public statement alerting voters to the deception, by some credibly neutral, nonpartisan authority.

— David D. Kirkpatrick, New Yorker, 3 Aug. 2026
Peter trying to have a normal holiday while grieving Tony, Mysterio’s deception, and the post-credits scene that blows Peter’s life apart — all of it feeds into where the new film finds him.

— Hannah Abraham, Forbes.com, 2 Aug. 2026

Definition of deception

Noun

Her adultery story initially evokes the imprisoned girl’s compensatory reveries, but over time its focus shifts.

— Katy Waldman, New Yorker, 3 Aug. 2026
The name has Biblical undertones and refers to a theory that Adam (of Adam and Eve) had a first wife named Lilith, who committed adultery with Satan and transformed into an evil being who kidnaps children.

— Katie Mather, PEOPLE, 23 July 2026

Definition of adultery

Adjective

There is an endless list of important takeaways from the new information, notably that Fauci was repeatedly and purposefully dishonest in order to get the public to comply with his policies and recommendations.

— Ian Miller OutKick, FOXNews.com, 28 July 2026
But 52% of employees in that same study believe their company's efforts to be empathetic are dishonest.

— Dennis Kozak, Forbes.com, 20 July 2026

Definition of dishonest

Verb

Jurors also found the NRA liable for mismanaging assets and misrepresenting information in its tax filings as a nonprofit charitable organization.

— ABC News, ABC News, 24 July 2026
Plaintiffs alleged that the event promoters were negligent in failing to secure required permits, not providing adequate security or crowd control and misrepresenting the event as safe for families, according to the statement.

— Lillie Davidson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 16 July 2026

Definition of misrepresenting

Verb

After Malawi earned a red card and dropped to 10 players against Egypt on Saturday, Chinzimu’s deep-lying defensive efforts kept them in the match for a 3-1 victory.

— Tamerra Griffin, New York Times, 4 Aug. 2026
Nobody tries to diagnose their own chest pain by lying still and concentrating harder.

— Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 4 Aug. 2026

Definition of lying

Verb

The Royal Shakespeare Company production was set to launch previews Monday, July 20 but all four performances this week were canceled, disappointing a number of fans who traveled from afar, including overseas.

— K.J. Yossman, Variety, 24 July 2026
Shares of the electric vehicle maker plunged 15% on Thursday after disappointing quarterly earnings.

— Sean Conlon,Joseph Wilkins,Justina Lee,Lee Ying Shan,Fred Imbert, CNBC, 23 July 2026

Definition of disappointing

Verb

Devers, who finished with three hits, eschewed his power for small ball in the fifth, laying down a surprise bunt for a single, then hustling home on Susac’s sacrifice fly.

— Justice delos Santos, Mercury News, 31 July 2026
These slim-fit mid-rise joggers look perfect for hustling around a busy airport, but are also stylish enough to wear while sightseeing.

— Kaitlin Gates, Travel + Leisure, 10 July 2026

Definition of hustling

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Style

“Cheating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cheating. Accessed 5 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of cheating

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verb

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