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

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

Examples of deceit in a Sentence

a rise to power that was marked by treachery and deceit

she's completely free of deceit

Recent Examples on the Web

Indeed, the authority has a long record of public deceit. —Daniel Borenstein, The Mercury News, 29 Mar. 2024

As the folksy charm of multiple characters wears thin, the novel exposes layers of malevolence and deceit. —Yvonne Zipp, The Christian Science Monitor, 28 Mar. 2024

In the recent trial, the prosecution characterized Whitehead as a habitual liar, emphasizing his deceit regarding access, influence, and relationships. —Melissa Noel, Essence, 15 Mar. 2024

One such instance recounts Lucarelli’s encounter with discrepancies in cash deposits during his tenure, unraveling a complex web of deceit and maleficence within the company’s ranks. —Hilary Tetenbaum, USA TODAY, 23 Mar. 2024

Euthanasia has come to Canada dressed up in euphemisms and deceit. —Daniel Dorman, National Review, 26 Feb. 2024

Without a word said about politics, Haghighi conjures, in a skewed but implacably authentic Tehran filled with violence and deceit, an endemic knowingness—a sure awareness of essential truths, regardless of how mighty the forces of illusion may be. —Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 25 Jan. 2024

This approach reveals the web of deceit and the contradictions inherent to the crisis pregnancy center missions and the broader pro-life movement. —Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 9 Mar. 2024

The pattern of deceit repeated before the full-scale invasion in February 2022, with Putin denying any plans for war until the very last moment. —Tribune News Service, Orange County Register, 14 Feb. 2024

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

• self-deceit

Kids Definition

deceit

noun

de·​ceit di-ˈsēt 

1

: the act or practice of deceiving : deception

2

: an attempt or scheme to deceive : trick

3

: the quality of being deceitful

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