deceit
noun
de·ceit di-ˈsēt 
1
: the act of causing someone to accept as true or valid what is false or invalid : the act or practice of deceiving : deception
achieving one's goals through a web of deceit
2
: an attempt or device to deceive : trick
Her excuse turned out to be a deceit.
3
: the quality of being dishonest or misleading : the quality of being deceitful : deceitfulness
… far from deceit or guile.
John Milton
John Milton
Synonyms
- artifice
- cheating
- cozenage
- craft
- craftiness
- crookedness
- crookery
- cunning
- cunningness
- deceitfulness
- deception
- deceptiveness
- dishonesty
- dissembling
- dissimulation
- double-dealing
- dupery
- duplicity
- fakery
- foxiness
- fraud
- guile
- guilefulness
- wiliness
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
a rise to power that was marked by treachery and deceit she's completely free of deceit
Recent Examples on the Web There's all of this awesome stuff—and speculation, and scams, and deceit, and everything. Taylor Locke, Fortune, 19 June 2022 The good news is that there was a limit to this deceit, which suggests people care about moral considerations to some extent. Margarita Leib, Scientific American, 29 Apr. 2022 The problem was not necessarily one specific party or another but the general deceit, hypocrisy, and disrespect that his rule-breaking seemed to symbolize. Tom Mctague, The Atlantic, 16 Apr. 2022 What unfolds is a triangular story of conflict, deceit, trickery and seduction every bit as complicated as a modern-day romcom. Washington Post, 13 Apr. 2022 The nuclear families behind that fence were as broken and troubled as yours and mine by divorce, perversion, addiction, deceit, disaffection, violence, adultery, and we can each complete our personal list. David Mamet, National Review, 3 Mar. 2022 From the Leather Castle to dumpster dives to DEFCON conferences, Evans weaves a twisting tale of deceit, manipulation, empowerment, and regret. Longreads, 24 Jan. 2022 Advance knowledge of the possibility of violence would help show intent, while knowing that the claims of election fraud were bogus would provide evidence of deceit and dishonesty. David Lautersenior Editor, Los Angeles Times, 22 July 2022 Both Johnson and Trump assumed power with lengthy records of rule-breaking, dishonesty and deceit. Frida Ghitis, CNN, 12 July 2022 See More
Taylor Locke, Fortune, 19 June 2022 The good news is that there was a limit to this deceit, which suggests people care about moral considerations to some extent. Margarita Leib, Scientific American, 29 Apr. 2022 The problem was not necessarily one specific party or another but the general deceit, hypocrisy, and disrespect that his rule-breaking seemed to symbolize. Tom Mctague, The Atlantic, 16 Apr. 2022 What unfolds is a triangular story of conflict, deceit, trickery and seduction every bit as complicated as a modern-day romcom. Washington Post, 13 Apr. 2022 The nuclear families behind that fence were as broken and troubled as yours and mine by divorce, perversion, addiction, deceit, disaffection, violence, adultery, and we can each complete our personal list. David Mamet, National Review, 3 Mar. 2022 From the Leather Castle to dumpster dives to DEFCON conferences, Evans weaves a twisting tale of deceit, manipulation, empowerment, and regret. Longreads, 24 Jan. 2022 Advance knowledge of the possibility of violence would help show intent, while knowing that the claims of election fraud were bogus would provide evidence of deceit and dishonesty. David Lautersenior Editor, Los Angeles Times, 22 July 2022 Both Johnson and Trump assumed power with lengthy records of rule-breaking, dishonesty and deceit. Frida Ghitis, CNN, 12 July 2022 See More Word History
Etymology
Middle English deceite, from Anglo-French, from Latin decepta, feminine of deceptus, past participle of decipere — see deceive
First Known Use
14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Phrases Containing deceit
Kids Definition
deceit
noun
de·ceit di-ˈsēt
1
: the act or practice of making someone believe something that is not true : deception
The villain used deceit to further his evil plan.
2
: a statement or act that is meant to fool or trick someone
We saw through her deceit.
3
: the quality of being dishonest
Legal Definition
deceit
noun
de·ceit
: deliberate and misleading concealment, false declaration, or artifice : deception
theft by deceit
also : the tort of committing or carrying out deceit
an action for deceit
see also fraud, misrepresentation deceit
noun
1
as in deception
the inclination or practice of misleading others through lies or trickery a rise to power that was marked by treachery and deceit Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- deception
- deceptiveness
- fraud
- deceitfulness
- cheating
- cunning
- lying
- duplicity
- dishonesty
- dissimulation
- fakery
- guile
- crookedness
- secrecy
- dissembling
- craftiness
- cunningness
- cozenage
- double-dealing
- subterfuge
- crookery
- wiliness
- fraudulence
- trickery
- prevarication
- dupery
- artifice
- craft
- chicanery
- mendacity
- hypocrisy
- skulduggery
- swindling
- insincerity
- equivocation
- foxiness
- guilefulness
- artfulness
- skullduggery
- falsehood
- jugglery
- underhandedness
- untruth
- deviousness
- fib
- shrewdness
- legerdemain
- obliquity
- wile
- unscrupulousness
- sanctimoniousness
- sneakiness
- falsity
- shadiness
- furtiveness
- chicane
- covertness
- slyness
- two-facedness
- caginess
- shiftiness
- hanky-panky
- treacherousness
- slipperiness
- mountebankery
- smoothness
- stealthiness
- slickness
- cageyness
- oiliness
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- sincerity
- artlessness
- guilelessness
- ingenuousness
- frankness
- forthrightness
- openness
- honesty
- candor
- plainness
- directness
- probity
- truthfulness
- candidness
- trustworthiness
- righteousness
- reliability
- integrity
- goodness
- good faith
- solidity
- uprightness
- dependability
- decency
- virtuousness
- plainspokenness
- incorruptibility
- reliableness
- trustiness
- trustability
2
as in deceitfulness
the tendency to tell lies she's completely free of deceit Synonyms & Similar Words
- deceitfulness
- dishonesty
- untruthfulness
- mendacity
- duplicity
- falsehood
- mendaciousness
- falseness
- cunning
- insincerity
- dissimulation
- guile
- fakery
- crookedness
- hypocrisy
- dissembling
- double-dealing
- craftiness
- wiliness
- artifice
- trickishness
- craft
- guilefulness
- foxiness
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- honesty
- truthfulness
- integrity
- sincerity
- probity
- verity
- frankness
- veracity
- candor
- incorruptibility
- honor
- trustworthiness
- reliability
- straightforwardness
- accuracy
- objectivity
- dependability
- veraciousness
- authenticity
- candidness
- correctness
- credibility
- genuineness
- good faith
- plainspokenness
- reliableness