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
Hannah Goldfield, New Yorker, 9 Feb. 2026
Potty humor can also be a tricky conceit to pull off for a Super Bowl audience.
—Brian Steinberg, Variety, 8 Feb. 2026
Bateman’s questioning aside, the lack of research is a central conceit of the show, which launched during the pandemic as a pastime for friends and now hosts Will Arnett, Sean Hayes and Bateman.
—Caitlin Huston, HollywoodReporter, 3 Feb. 2026
This particular title works best in a rather scrappier and more intimate staging, with a conceit that pays more homage to its B-movie origins.
—Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune, 3 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for conceit
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Noun
The conceit of narrating a year in one’s life through the toils and sensations of the kitchen is one that many have taken up before.
—Hannah Goldfield, New Yorker, 9 Feb. 2026
Potty humor can also be a tricky conceit to pull off for a Super Bowl audience.
—Brian Steinberg, Variety, 8 Feb. 2026
Bateman’s questioning aside, the lack of research is a central conceit of the show, which launched during the pandemic as a pastime for friends and now hosts Will Arnett, Sean Hayes and Bateman.
—Caitlin Huston, HollywoodReporter, 3 Feb. 2026
This particular title works best in a rather scrappier and more intimate staging, with a conceit that pays more homage to its B-movie origins.
—Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune, 3 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for conceit
Cite this Entry
“Conceit.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/conceit. Accessed 10 Feb. 2026.
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