Synonyms of conceit

conceit 1 of 2

noun

kən-ˈsēt 

1

as in metaphor

an elaborate or fanciful way of expressing something

the conceit that the crowd at the outdoor rock concert was a vast sea of people waving to the beat of the music

Synonyms & Similar Words

• metaphor
• analogy
• figure of speech
• device
• simile
• euphemism
• circumlocution
• code word
• catachresis
• dead metaphor
• crank
• mixed metaphor

2

as in illusion

a conception or image created by the imagination and having no objective reality

his dream of swimming in the Olympics is nothing more than a conceit

Synonyms & Similar Words

• illusion
• dream
• fantasy
• daydream
• vision
• delusion
• idea
• unreality
• chimera
• hallucination
• phantasm
• pipe dream
• castle in the air
• castle in Spain
• nightmare
• mirage
• figment
• imaging
• nonentity
• fiction
• fancy
• concoction
• fabrication
• visualization
• ignis fatuus
• brainchild
• fable
• utopia
• cloudland
• invention
• will-o'-the-wisp
• cloud-cuckoo-land
• envisaging
• Shangri-la
• daymare

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• fact
• reality
• actuality

3

as in vanity

an often unjustified feeling of being pleased with oneself or with one's situation or achievements

even though her novels are enormously popular, the writer is more prone to humility than to conceit

Synonyms & Similar Words

• vanity
• ego
• pridefulness
• pride
• arrogance
• smugness
• egotism
• complacency
• self-conceit
• vainglory
• conceitedness
• pomposity
• self-satisfaction
• self-importance
• vainness
• pompousness
• self-love
• superiority
• complacence
• confidence
• self-congratulation
• self-opinion
• amour propre
• self-admiration
• vaingloriousness
• bighead
• self-glory
• swelled head
• assurance
• self-esteem
• self-assumption
• hubris
• haughtiness
• superciliousness
• self-assurance
• selfishness
• self-confidence
• snobbishness
• self-righteousness
• imperiousness
• overconfidence
• presumption
• swellheadedness
• egoism
• self-assertion
• disdainfulness
• pretension
• lordliness
• pretense
• pretentiousness
• self-respect
• self-pride
• self-centeredness

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• humility
• modesty
• diffidence
• humbleness
• altruism
• unselfishness
• timidity
• self-doubt
• shyness
• bashfulness
• passivity
• self-loathing
• demureness
• self-disgust
• self-hate
• passiveness
• timidness

conceit

2 of 2

verb

chiefly dialect

as in to imagine

to form a mental picture of

after a huge meal like that, I cannot conceit eating another thing for the rest of the day

Synonyms & Similar Words

• imagine
• envision
• see
• picture
• dream
• fantasy
• vision
• feature
• fancy
• conceive
• fantasize
• visualize
• image
• envisage
• contemplate
• conjure (up)
• plan
• daydream
• ideate
• muse
• reflect
• ponder
• project
• ruminate
• concoct
• foresee
• invent
• relive
• manufacture
• hallucinate
• meditate
• reminisce
• make up
• stargaze
• prefigure
• fabricate
• re-create

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of conceit

Noun

He was impressed by the novel’s noirish atmosphere, its deadpan approach to the fantastical conceit, and its wit, which stopped short of cynicism. — Julian Lucas, New Yorker, 22 June 2026

This episode is an example of what makes the murder mystery conceit of OMITB special, Hoffman says. — Trey Williams, HollywoodReporter, 18 June 2026

That belief — along with the conceit of pandemic lockdowns — provides a narrative framework for the film, which is largely set inside three apartments in Bucharest. — Christopher Vourlias, Variety, 17 June 2026

Thankfully, Leviticus has a good grasp on how to leverage this conceit for scares and to score points about the insidiousness of mistaking hatred for salvation. — David Fear, Rolling Stone, 17 June 2026