Definitions

deceitful

[dih-seet-fuhl] / dɪˈsit fəl /

ADJECTIVE

dishonest, insincere

Synonyms

STRONGEST

artful deceptive disingenuous duplicitous false fraudulent hypocritical misleading underhanded untrustworthy untruthful

WEAK

astucious astute beguiling clandestine counterfeit crafty cunning deceiving delusive delusory designing double-dealing fallacious feline foxy furtive guileful illusory impostrous indirect insidious knavish lying mendacious rascal roguish shifty slick sly sneaky stealthy subtle treacherous tricky two-faced underhand wily

Antonyms

STRONGEST

actual authentic forthright frank genuine honest ingenuous just naive open real reliable sincere truthful upright valid

WEAK

faithful loyal trustworthy

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

In parliament ahead of the vote, Bolojan defended his push for reforms, slamming the motion as "deceitful, cynical, and contrived."

From Barron's • May 5, 2026

Martin, a respected doctor, is charming, as handsome as “an Italian movie star” and sociopathically deceitful.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 26, 2026

And it’s gone along on the same trajectory with deceitful disclosures.

From Slate • Feb. 4, 2026

However, Butler praised his deceitful friend for doing "a great job of convicing me the whole way through".

From BBC • Jan. 25, 2026

The white socks, the Mary Janes, the always-inadequate birthday present swathed in tissue paper, and the little girls with their assessing eyes, their slippery deceitful smiles, tartaned up like Lady Macbeth.

From "Cat's Eye" by Margaret Atwood

Vocabulary lists containing deceitful

Power Suffix: -ful

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Fake It 'Til You Make It: Synonyms for "False"

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Negative Words to Describe a Person

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