deceit

[dih-seet] / dɪˈsit /

NOUN

practice of misleading

Synonyms

STRONGEST

chicanery deception dishonesty duplicity fraud hypocrisy treachery trickery

STRONG

ambidexterity ambidextrousness artifice cheating chicane craft craftiness cunning deceitfulness dissimulation double-dealing fraudulence guile imposition pretense slyness trapping

WEAK

cozening defrauding dirty dealing dirty pool dissemblance entrapping overreaching smoke and mirrors two-facedness two-timing underhandedness

Antonyms

STRONGEST

fairness forthrightness frankness honesty openness sincerity trustworthiness truth truthfulness

STRONG

artlessness reality

WEAK

uprightness

NOUN

particular type of trick, misleading

Synonyms

STRONGEST

chicanery deception duplicity fraud hoax misrepresentation subterfuge

STRONG

artifice blind cheat fake feint flimflam fraudulence humbug imposture pretense ruse sell sellout sham shift spoof stratagem swindle trick whitewash wile

WEAK

crocodile tears dirty trick dirty work smoke and mirrors snow job soft soap sweet-talk

Antonyms

STRONGEST

forthrightness honesty openness trustworthiness truthfulness

STRONG

frankness reality truth

WEAK

uprightness

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.

The deceit is either ameliorated or worsened by the obvious unreliability of Thomas’s testimony.

From The Wall Street Journal

As his deceit becomes apparent, the music shifts from crisp hip-hop beats to a hard-boiled film noir crescendo.

From BBC

Father, who was incapable of practicing deceit or even recognizing it, took a long and earnest sniff.

From Literature

These believers turned the tables on the medium who had confessed, accusing her of deceit.

From Literature

His research ranged from the evolutionary dimension of human altruism to the logic of deceit and self-deception.

From The Wall Street Journal