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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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
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
Marty the nebbish, Ike the shyster, Phyllis the shrew.
—Judy Berman, Time, 8 Nov. 2021
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
Small business owners trying to stay afloat as the economy reels from the impact of the coronavirus can add another worry to the list: shysters pretending to be affiliated with the federal government's flagship relief program.
—Kate Gibson, CBS News, 20 Apr. 2020
Lukens, almost alone, kept the faith, arguing that the bust had simply exposed honest dealers from shysters.
—The Economist, 18 Dec. 2019
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
Marty the nebbish, Ike the shyster, Phyllis the shrew.
—Judy Berman, Time, 8 Nov. 2021
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
Small business owners trying to stay afloat as the economy reels from the impact of the coronavirus can add another worry to the list: shysters pretending to be affiliated with the federal government's flagship relief program.
—Kate Gibson, CBS News, 20 Apr. 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
Noun
-
Ara’s joining the firm comes on the heels of Weil’s hiring in February of sports, media and entertainment lawyer Steve Argeris as a partner in the U.S. Private Equity Group, based in Weil’s Washington, D.C., and New York offices.—
Todd Spangler,
Variety,
5 June 2025
-
Buchwald said the government could start proceedings by serving either Chung’s home address via mail or her lawyers.—
Cayla Bamberger,
New York Daily News,
5 June 2025
Noun
-
Separately, attorneys for the families of victims of the shootings at the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown in 2012 filed a civil lawsuit under a different provision of the law concerning unfair trade practices.—
Christopher Keating,
Hartford Courant,
31 May 2025
-
If any inmates were denied parole because of the faulty tests, they could be owed a new hearing before the parole board, said attorneys representing inmates affected by the defective drug tests.—
Salvador Hernandez,
Los Angeles Times,
31 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Shyster.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shyster. Accessed 10 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share