Thesaurus.com
Dictionary.com
Showing results for deceit. Search instead for decig.
Definitions

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 • Mar. 31, 2026

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

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 26, 2026

Barrera co-stars as Michelle, a spy tangled in the web of deceit.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 16, 2025

"I just don't think Alan would be able to comprehend the enormous sense of gratitude we have to him for being our patron and for putting himself through all that lying and deceit."

From BBC • Nov. 14, 2025

And if I laughed louder for the sake of angering him, if I smiled wider, and kissed Locke longer, that is a kind of deceit that even the Folk cannot condemn.

From "The Cruel Prince" by Holly Black

From Roget's 21st Century Thesaurus, Third Edition Copyright © 2013 by the Philip Lief Group.