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shyster

shyster

14 9.9
A person, often a lawyer or politician, who acts dishonestly to get what they want
  • noun
  • /ˈʃaɪstər/
  • Offensive
translation icon : abogado sinvergüenza
  • The brilliant Wall Street shysters are "shocked" with the results reported this morning.
  • shyster lawyer
  • money-grubbing shyster
  • street-corner shyster

Joe Rogan's like you're a shyster, Musk, aren't you?

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Examples

  • You slick, smiling shyster.

  • Used to be a shyster lawyer in Los Angeles.

  • Yeah, and that shyster lawyer of yours.

  • What are you calling up that shyster for?

  • You listen to that shyster.

  • And I don't know about you, but I don't want to deal with the shyster now.

  • Now she thinks the whole firm is shysters and loonies.

    Fiction book (1995)
  • He's a shyster that's been freeloading in this house for a solid year!

  • A whole corps of shysters has sprung up, including, in my opinion, this one representing the Thomases.

    Fiction book (1995)
  • The shyster politician promised reform, but his actions showed he only cared about money.

Synonyms

crook
vsshyster
  • Offensive
153 3.9

A dishonest person who cheats or steals

narrows to unethical behaviour by certain professions for specific advantage
cheater
vsshyster
  • Offensive
112 2.6

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

is aimed more at unethical professional conduct for personal or political goals
politician
vsshyster
  • Offensive
100 5.4

A person who uses secret plans to gain power in a group

is similar but emphasizes unethical acts by specific professions rather than roles
sneak
vsshyster
  • Offensive
75 6.1

A person who secretly tells adults or police about things other people do wrong

is focused more on deliberate unethical moves by specific professionals
weasel
vsshyster
  • Offensive
64 7.9

A person who is sneaky and dishonest, often trying to trick others

describes active unethical professional scheming rather than merely evasive traits
scoundrel
vsshyster
  • Offensive
51 6.5

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

is more pointed at unethical tactics used by particular professionals
con man
vsshyster
47 4.7

A person who tricks people by gaining their trust to get their money

is broader, including unethical professional acts beyond trust-based fraud
con artist
vsshyster
40 4.8

A person who tricks people by gaining their trust to take their money or valuables

covers similar deceit but stresses unethical professional or political behaviour
scammer
vsshyster
  • NSFW
20 4.0

A person who tricks others to take their money or things

includes those scams but also unethical professional or political conduct
trickster
vsshyster
20 6.0

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

is more about deliberate unethical tactics by certain professionals
swindler
vsshyster
15 5.4

A person who tricks people to take their money

is wider, naming unethical behaviour by certain professionals to reach goals
sleazebag
vsshyster
  • Offensive
9 8.2

A person who is dishonest and treats others badly

focuses more on professional unethical tactics rather than general unpleasantness
sleazeball
vsshyster
  • Offensive
7 8.2

A person who is dishonest and treats others badly

highlights unethical professional actions specifically rather than general immorality
wolf in sheep's clothing
vsshyster
  • Informal
7 6.2

A person who seems friendly but is actually dangerous or dishonest

is more general, describing purposeful unethical acts by certain professionals
snake in the grass
vsshyster
  • Offensive
5 8.1

A person who pretends to be friendly but secretly harms or tricks you

is broader, naming openly unethical professional or political behaviour rather than disguise
confidence man
vsshyster
2 8.4

A man who tricks people by gaining their trust and taking their money

refers more to unethical actions by certain professionals rather than confidence tricks
slickster
vsshyster
  • Offensive
1 9.9

A person who seems friendly but tricks others to get what they want

leans more on unethical professional conduct to achieve goals
conniver
vsshyster
  • Formal
1 8.4

A person who secretly plans and helps with illegal actions

focuses more on unethical professional tactics rather than secret cooperation
sandbagger
vsshyster
  • Offensive
1 8.9

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

is broader, naming unethical professional behaviour rather than hidden capability only
rooker
vsshyster
  • Offensive
1 9.9

A person who cheats others to get money or things

is current, naming unethical behaviour by certain professionals to reach objectives
pettifogger
vsshyster
  • Offensive
1 9.9

A person who argues over small unimportant details and uses unfair tricks

is broader, naming unethical behaviour by certain professionals for advantage
intriguer
vsshyster
1 8.9

A person who secretly plans to trick others for personal gain

is similar but stresses unethical professional or political behaviour to reach goals
bamboozler
vsshyster
  • Informal
1 7.8

A person who tricks or cheats people, often as a joke

is more serious, naming unethical professional or political wrongdoing to gain goals
boodler
vsshyster
  • Offensive
9.9

A person who takes money unfairly by accepting bribes

is broader, covering varied dishonest methods beyond political corruption
finagler
vsshyster
  • Offensive
9.8

A person who gets things by tricking or lying to others

is similar but implies a professional or political context for wrongdoing
cozener
vsshyster
  • Archaic
9.9

A person who tricks people to get their money or things

is focused more on unethical professional or political behaviour to achieve aims
Mayberry Machiavelli
vsshyster
  • Informal
9.9

A friendly-looking person who secretly tricks others to gain power

is less about charming disguise and more about unethical professional tactics
diddler
vsshyster
  • Offensive
8.6

A person who cheats others to get small amounts of money

is broader, covering serious unethical acts by certain professionals for advantage
magsman
vsshyster
  • Archaic
9.9

A person who tricks others using clever talk to take their money

is the modern term for unethical professional or political behaviour to achieve goals

How Dishonest

crook
  • Offensive
153 3.9
shyster
  • Offensive
14 9.9

Surface Forms

shyster singular
shysters plural

Etymology

Shyster likely comes from an old German or Yiddish insult like Scheißer, which was an insulting word for 'a very bad or dirty person'. So, shyster came to mean a dishonest, untrustworthy person, often used about lawyers or politicians.