Manipulative means controlling others by clever unfair means. A manipulative person, manipulative behaviour, deeply manipulative.
The unfairness is the whole charge: influence becomes manipulation when it works by concealing what is really going on. It is a strong accusation and hard to prove, which is why it is thrown about more than it is demonstrated. Note that manipulate comes from the Latin for a handful, so a manipulative person handles you.
1adjectivemanipulativeControlling others by clever unfair means.
“He was manipulative, making his friends feel guilty until they did what he wanted.”
synonyms: scheming, calculating
manipulative is a quality of unfair control.
From manipulate + -ive.
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA