🎣 A hobby fisher 🕵️ A schemer 🐟 A strange fish

angler

1 8.5

A person who secretly tries to get an advantage by tricking others

noun
/ˈæŋɡlər/

Offensive

: manipulador

The Honest Angler in your Inbox

Examples

In the meeting, she was the master angler, skillfully manipulating the discussion to favor her proposal.
So oral sex became, in the eye of the angler, your... your Finnish weapon.

Nymphomaniac: Vol. I (2013)
Hemingway was surely playing on the definition of killers as "an effective angler's bait" (OED).

Academic text (2017)
The clever angler always finds a way to turn the situation to their advantage.
As an angler, he knew how to navigate the political landscape to gain support for his ideas.

Synonyms

trickster

vsangler

20 6.0

A person who lies to or cheats others, often to have fun

aims to manipulate situations more seriously for advantage rather than for fun

schemer

vsangler

Offensive

9 7.0

A person who secretly plans to get what they want by tricking others

focuses on manipulating situations rather than only planning

exploiter

vsangler

5 7.1

A person who uses others selfishly to get money or power

prefers planned manipulation of situations rather than directly taking advantage of people

chancer

vsangler

Offensive

2 8.2

A person who takes risks to get ahead by ignoring rules or being dishonest

prefers planned manipulation rather than risky opportunistic actions

sharky

vsangler

Offensive

1 9.9

A person who cheats or tricks others to get money

uses broader situational manipulation beyond business or gambling contexts

sandbagger

vsangler

Offensive

1 8.9

A person who hides their real skill to win unfairly in contests

uses broader manipulation that may not rely on hiding abilities

rooker

vsangler

Offensive

1 9.9

A person who cheats others to get money or things

is a modern term for plotting or manipulating situations

intriguer

vsangler

1 8.9

A person who secretly plans to trick others for personal gain

uses a wider range of manipulation beyond secret plotting

wangler

vsangler

1 9.9

A person who tricks others using clever, dishonest methods to get what they want

prefers manipulating whole situations rather than relying on tricks

gamesman

vsangler

Archaic

8.8

A person who uses clever and sometimes unfair plans to get an advantage in politics or business

manipulates situations in many areas, not only strategic fields

finagler

vsangler

Offensive

9.8

A person who gets things by tricking or lying to others

focuses on manipulating situations rather than simply tricking others

Antonyms

honesty

365 1.0

Being truthful and fair in what you say and do

naivety

7 6.1

Lack of experience or common sense that makes someone trust others easily

Compounds

angler fish

7.4

A deep sea fish with a large mouth and a glowing lure on its head to attract prey

How Manipulative

manipulator

Offensive

24 6.2

angler

Offensive

1 8.5

opportunist

27 5.9

Surface Forms

angler singular

anglers plural

Morphology

angler = angle (semi-transparent) = angle + er

The form is regular, but the 'schemes or manipulates' sense is a figurative extension of 'angle' rather than a fully literal agent meaning.

Etymology

The word angler can also mean someone who tries to get advantage by clever or secret ways, coming from the idea of 'angling' or 'fishing' for something like praise or information. So an angler is someone who tries to 'hook' what they want by waiting, luring, or tricking others.