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
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Recent Examples of legerdemain
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.
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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
His team is developing the bioreactor that performs the legerdemain.
—IEEE Spectrum, 22 May 2018
There is studio photography by the artists of legerdemain, such as the Malians Seydou Keïta and Malick Sidibé.
—Seph Rodney, New York Times, 29 June 2023
See all Example Sentences for legerdemain 
Recent Examples of Synonyms for legerdemain
Noun
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Continuing to work his magic, the artist has created over 100 coveted NFT artworks of global icons such as Jane Goodall, Andy Warhol, David Bowie, Salvador Dali and others, including his whimsical collection of Toy Rooms and Toy Birds, which carry (and evoke) similar emotions of nostalgia.Sonya Rehman, Forbes, 1 Dec. 2024
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Arizona Republic With a little holiday magic, children will have numerous chances to see Santa Claus in metro Phoenix before Christmas Day.Michael Salerno, The Arizona Republic, 30 Nov. 2024
Noun
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The series is inspired by the book The Woman Who Fooled the World by journalists Beau Donelly and Nick Toscano, who helped uncover the details of Gibson's deception.Yaakov Katz, Newsweek, 27 Nov. 2024
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That allowed the filmmakers to carefully choreograph her movements as her candy shop killer creates her lethal deceptions.Will Tizard, Variety, 25 Nov. 2024
Noun
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Phishing—defined as fraudulent activities that attempt to obtain sensitive information through trickery via emails or websites—is a rampant threat during the holiday season.Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 29 Nov. 2024
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When the play reaches its climax, a moment of haunted stage trickery that’s supposed to thrill and engage us ends up feeling ungrounded and, in its aftermath, bizarrely underacknowledged.Sara Holdren, Vulture, 21 Nov. 2024
Noun
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But as the film goes on, those idiosyncrasies reveal themselves to be more like a blend of subterfuge and pleasure, another way for Macrinus to hide his intentions behind a veil.Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 22 Nov. 2024
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Putin’s ties to social media What Putin lacks as a military leader, the former KGB secret agent makes up for in subterfuge.Christiaan Hetzner, Fortune, 25 Oct. 2024
Noun
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Hosted by Alan Cumming, the game of treachery and deceit returns to Peacock on Thursday, January 9th.Anne Easton, Forbes, 31 Oct. 2024
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Politics is full of deceit, treachery, and betrayal. . . .Quintus Tullius Cicero, Foreign Affairs, 20 Apr. 2012
Noun
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But also because what happens in Georgia sets the recognizable pattern of political chicanery, disinformation and interference elsewhere.Melik Kaylan, Forbes, 30 Oct. 2024
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Specifically, expect to see a new look at the latest DLC for Alan Wake 2, The Lake House, and an in-depth look at the latest chicanery coming out of Like A Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii.Ash Parrish, The Verge, 17 Oct. 2024
Noun
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There are many reasons beyond cheating and skulduggery that someone might root or modify their Android device.Kevin Purdy, Ars Technica, 30 July 2024
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And so the tale of how the Giants established themselves at the Polo Grounds is told, accurately enough, as a piece of complicated capitalist skulduggery in which the team’s desperate owner bought a controlling interest in the Baltimore Orioles and then dragged its stars north.Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 25 Mar. 2024
Noun
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Known for his slow, methodical in-ring style and chilling promos, Roberts played a brilliant heel, often manipulating opponents with his cunning.Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 29 Nov. 2024
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The movie’s costume designer Tom Broecker says the change highlights the lethal cunning that lurks below the character’s beauty.Alexandra Willingham, CNN, 29 Oct. 2024
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Cite this Entry
“Legerdemain.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/legerdemain. Accessed 13 Dec. 2024.
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