gamesmanship
noun
games·man·ship
ˈgāmz-mən-ˌship 
1
: the art or practice of winning games by questionable expedients without actually violating the rules
2
: the use of ethically dubious methods to gain an objective
Examples of gamesmanship in a Sentence
They blur the line between gamesmanship and cheating.
that author doesn't go in for literary gamesmanship, so the reader is never led astray by the novel's narrator
Recent Examples on the Web
Psychologist Susan Cain, in Quiet, says introverts thrive in solitude, delivering their best work without the social stimulus overload of open offices and needing to play political gamesmanship.
—
Jack Kelly, Forbes.com, 9 Apr. 2025
Broad experience helps chairmen identify counterproductive gamesmanship.
—Dwight Stirling, The Conversation, 4 Mar. 2025
Those close to the Speaker’s Office, however, were trying to paint him as a skilled inside player who could nevertheless pull a ripcord and try again if his gamesmanship doesn’t work on the first try.
—Philip Elliott, TIME, 25 Feb. 2025
Finland and Sweden, both of which had tried for decades to steer clear of superpower gamesmanship, joined NATO after Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022.
—Josh Holder, New York Times, 28 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for gamesmanship
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Jack Kelly, Forbes.com, 9 Apr. 2025
Broad experience helps chairmen identify counterproductive gamesmanship.
—Dwight Stirling, The Conversation, 4 Mar. 2025
Those close to the Speaker’s Office, however, were trying to paint him as a skilled inside player who could nevertheless pull a ripcord and try again if his gamesmanship doesn’t work on the first try.
—Philip Elliott, TIME, 25 Feb. 2025
Finland and Sweden, both of which had tried for decades to steer clear of superpower gamesmanship, joined NATO after Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022.
—Josh Holder, New York Times, 28 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for gamesmanship
Cite this Entry
“Gamesmanship.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gamesmanship. Accessed 16 Apr. 2025.
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