manipulation

Controlling people or changing information unfairly to get what you want.

• She recognized his emotional manipulation.
• The report revealed manipulation of the sales figures.
• Political manipulation made the results seem more convincing.

How to use it: manipulation of someone/something (The investigation exposed manipulation of the data.)

Common phrases: emotional manipulation, manipulation of data, political manipulation

Handling or changing something to produce a particular result.

• Image manipulation can improve a photograph.
• His manipulation of the cards was impressively quick.
• The software allows easy manipulation of large tables.

Similar words: handling, processing

Common phrases: data manipulation, image manipulation, manipulation of cards

Influencing someone’s feelings or thoughts to make them act as you want.

• He used guilt as a form of manipulation.
• Her manipulation made him doubt his own judgment.
• The family learned to recognize psychological manipulation.

Common phrases: psychological manipulation, manipulation of someone, subtle manipulation

Moving or handling something carefully and skilfully with your hands.

• Gentle manipulation loosened the joint.
• The task requires careful manipulation of tiny parts.
• The therapist used manipulation to ease her back pain.

How to use it: manipulation of something (Careful manipulation of the pieces freed the mechanism.)

Similar words: handling

Common phrases: gentle manipulation, manipulation of joints, manual manipulation