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sharky

sharky

1 9.9
A person who cheats or tricks others to get money
  • noun
  • /ˈʃɑrki/
  • Offensive
translation icon : estafador
  • In the high-stakes poker game, he was known as a sharky because he always found ways to cheat the other players.

Examples

  • That's why Roy calls it Sharky.

  • I'm still a sharky!

  • Hey, little sleepy sharky.

  • I'm a seal-eating sharky!

  • Section four started out sharky, but we managed to tally two keepers, bringing our total to 15 for four sections—not bad.

    Fiction book (1999)
  • Apes and chimpanzees are not good swimmers, so it would only be a matter of time before Mr. Sharky came and feasted upon the poor ape as he was gasping for his last breath.

    Blog text (12)
  • The new investor seemed like a sharky dealer, taking advantage of inexperienced entrepreneurs with his clever tricks.

  • Everyone warned me about his sharky business practices, so I decided not to partner with him.

Synonyms

crook
vssharky
  • Offensive
153 3.9

A dishonest person who cheats or steals

refers more to taking advantage in business or gambling rather than general criminal acts
cheater
vssharky
  • Offensive
112 2.6

A person who breaks the rules or lies to get an advantage

is often used for taking advantage in business or gambling rather than general dishonesty
shark
vssharky
  • Offensive
91 7.9

A person who uses skill and cheating to get money from others

focuses on taking advantage or cheating rather than skill or aggressiveness
cheat
vssharky
  • Offensive
55 2.6

A person who acts dishonestly to gain an unfair advantage

is used mainly for taking advantage in business or gambling rather than only rule-breaking
scoundrel
vssharky
  • Offensive
51 6.5

A person who behaves dishonestly and hurts others by lying or stealing

is focused on exploiting others in business or gambling rather than general bad character
trickster
vssharky
20 6.0

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

focuses on cheating for gain in business or gambling rather than playful tricks
swindler
vssharky
15 5.4

A person who tricks people to take their money

focuses on taking advantage in business or gambling rather than only fraud
card shark
vssharky
  • Informal
3 8.2

A person who is very good at playing cards and cheats to win

highlights general taking advantage in business or gambling rather than game skill
carny
vssharky
  • Offensive
3 9.2

A person who tricks others to get their money

is the more general neutral description for taking advantage in business or gambling
cardsharp
vssharky
  • Archaic
1 8.8

A person who cheats at card games to win money

focuses on taking advantage in business or gambling more generally
rooker
vssharky
  • Offensive
1 9.9

A person who cheats others to get money or things

is the modern common term used for taking advantage in business or gambling
angler
vssharky
  • Offensive
1 8.5

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

highlights direct cheating or tricking in business or gambling rather than general scheming
real shark
vssharky
  • Informal
1 7.8

A person who pushes hard to get the best business deals

emphasizes taking advantage or cheating others rather than mere skill and aggression

Antonyms

1.0

Truthful and fair, not cheating or lying

88 2.1

A person or thing you can depend on to be honest

How Predatory

predator
101 4.6
sharky
  • Offensive
1 9.9
con artist
40 4.8
shady
  • Informal
79 5.5

Surface Forms

sharky singular
sharkies plural

Morphology

sharky = shark (transparent) = shark + y

Denominal adjectival formation ('shark' + '-y') used as a noun for a predatory/cheating person is a direct metaphorical extension and is inferable.

Etymology

Sharky as a noun comes from the idea of a shark as a predator and appears in phrases like loan shark and card shark, so a sharky person is someone who cheats or takes advantage of others.