manipulative
adj.describing someone who tries to control or influence people in a clever or unfair way to get what they want.
adj.characterised by the use of indirect, dishonest, or calculating tactics to influence the behaviour or emotions of others for personal gain.
“He uses guilt to be manipulative and get his way.”
“The manager's manipulative behavior created a toxic environment where employees felt forced to compete against each other.”
“Psychologists often distinguish between healthy social influence and manipulative conduct, which relies on exploitation and the intentional distortion of facts to undermine another person's autonomy.”
Often used predicatively after linking verbs like 'be', 'seem', or 'become'.
“Dramaturg Sophie Duncan’s skilled elision of variant texts emphasises Edmund, played by Fode Simbo with a manipulative charisma suggesting Gloucester’s bastard son as a cousin of Iago in Othello.”
From manipulate + -ive.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.