1
a
: favorable opinion
especially
: excessive appreciation of one's own worth or virtue
… the landlord's conceit of his own superior knowledge … —
Adam Smith
Adam Smith
b(1)
: a result of mental activity : thought
(2)
: individual opinion
2
a
: a fanciful idea
b
: an elaborate or strained metaphor
The poem abounds in metaphysical conceits.
c
: use or presence of such conceits in poetry
d
: an organizing theme or concept
… found his conceit for the film early …—Peter Wilkinson
Peter Wilkinson… the historian's conceit that the past is forever prologue …—Leon V. Sigal
Leon V. Sigal3
: a fancy item or trifle
Conceits were fancy desserts, made either of sugar … or pastry.—Francie Owen
Francie Owen
conceited; conceiting; conceits
1
chiefly dialectal
: imagine
2
dialectal British
: to take a fancy to
3
obsolete
: conceive, understand
Examples of conceit in a Sentence
Noun
His conceit has earned him many enemies.
the conceit that the crowd at the outdoor rock concert was a vast sea of people waving to the beat of the music
Verb
after a huge meal like that, I cannot conceit eating another thing for the rest of the day
Recent Examples on the Web
Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 21 Apr. 2025
While the conceit of economists never disappoints, a piece calling for central planning from historically free market Mercatus does.
—John Tamny, Forbes.com, 20 Apr. 2025
The conceit of the short story allows Millet to show how personalities assert themselves and simultaneously explore our interconnectedness as a species.
—Heather Scott Partington, Los Angeles Times, 18 Apr. 2025
This intricate conceit poses challenges for modern audiences.
—Alex Ross, New Yorker, 14 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for conceit
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Noun
The first trailer sold the conceit of Michael B. Jordan in a dual role as twin gangster brothers in a horror film dealing with the devil, from the director of Black Panther and Creed.
—Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 21 Apr. 2025
While the conceit of economists never disappoints, a piece calling for central planning from historically free market Mercatus does.
—John Tamny, Forbes.com, 20 Apr. 2025
The conceit of the short story allows Millet to show how personalities assert themselves and simultaneously explore our interconnectedness as a species.
—Heather Scott Partington, Los Angeles Times, 18 Apr. 2025
This intricate conceit poses challenges for modern audiences.
—Alex Ross, New Yorker, 14 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for conceit
Cite this Entry
“Conceit.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/conceit. Accessed 3 May. 2025.
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