Manipulate
Manipulate verb - To control or take advantage of by artful, unfair, or insidious means.
Usage example: the con man would slyly manipulate the emotions of his marks in order to win their sympathy and trust
Play upon and manipulate are semantically related. In some cases you can use "Play upon" instead a verb "Manipulate".
Play upon
Play upon verb - To control or take advantage of by artful, unfair, or insidious means.
Usage example: played upon the customer's vanity to convince her to buy the expensive makeup kit
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Synonyms for Play upon
Manipulate and play upon are semantically related. You can use "Manipulate" instead a verb phrase "Play upon".
Mutual synonyms
Related pairs
Cite this Source
Play upon and Manipulate. (2016). Retrieved 2026, August 01, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/manipulate/play_upon
Manipulate & Play upon. N.p., 2016. Web. 01 Aug. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/manipulate/play_upon>.
Play upon or Manipulate. 2016. Accessed August 01, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/manipulate/play_upon.
Google Ngram Viewer shows how "manipulate" and "play upon" have occurred on timeline