shyster

noun

Definition of shysternext
as in lawyer
chiefly US, informal a person who is dishonest especially in politics or in the practice of law
—often used before another noun a shyster lawyer

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of shyster The bubble-ists think that the Coreweave people are hopeless dreamers at best and shysters at worst. — Jim Cramer, CNBC, 28 Sep. 2025 To demonstrate that point in a video, a researcher told a robot arm to put a bunch of plastic grapes into a clear Tupperware container, then proceeded to shift three containers around on the table in an approximation of a shyster’s shell game. — Eliza Strickland, IEEE Spectrum, 12 Mar. 2025 Holmes is another shyster whose story has been dissected in several documentaries and in dramatizations like Hulu’s The Dropout, but Gibney brings specific insights and a fresh perspective to this truly unbelievable story. — Declan Gallagher, EW.com, 31 July 2024 And there’s a character on there who is—plays kind of a shyster attorney. — Nick Sibilla, Forbes, 11 Nov. 2022 How Bob Odenkirk became the great American shyster in the riveting show, Better Call Saul. — Kyle Smith, National Review, 1 May 2022 In the 1930s, it was purchased by Norman Baker, a shyster who lured cancer patients to come here for treatments that had no medicinal value. — Valerie Fraser Luesse, Southern Living, 25 Sep. 2020 Lukens, almost alone, kept the faith, arguing that the bust had simply exposed honest dealers from shysters. — The Economist, 18 Dec. 2019
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shyster
  1. lawyer
  2. attorney
  3. pettifogger
Noun
  • His lawyer did not immediately return a message seeking comment.
    — John Annese, New York Daily News, 31 Aug. 2026
  • At the arraignment, Burke's lawyers withdrew in a shocking move, leaving him with a public defender.
    — Liza Esquibias, USA Today, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of lawyer
Noun
  • Hackett's suit, filed by civil rights attorney Ben Crump, seeks compensatory and punitive damages and names Arellano in his individual capacity as the sole defendant.
    — Daniel McFadin, Arkansas Online, 31 Aug. 2026
  • Asking the Virgin for forgiveness The visa applications submitted by Lozano will now probably come under review by USCIS, said Ortiz, the attorney with the Loyola Immigrant Justice Clinic.
    — Itzel Luna, Los Angeles Times, 30 Aug. 2026
Definition of attorney
Noun
  • For nearly three years now, I’ve been fascinated by the performance art of this blustering pettifogger.
    — Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 17 May 2023
Definition of pettifogger

Browse Nearby Words

shyness
shyster
shysters
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Shyster.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shyster. Accessed 2 Sep. 2026.

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