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

James has repeatedly denied any claim of unfairness and has said that investigators from her office found clear proof of wrongdoing and a culture of deceit at the Trump Organization, which is a real estate, golf resort and hospitality company that is solely owned by Trump. —Shayna Jacobs, Washington Post, 23 July 2024

As master of ceremonies, Cumming oversees all the deception and deceit with undeniable flair, all while wearing a dizzying array of Tartan-print outfits and toting around his rescue dog Lala. —Samantha Allen, Them, 17 July 2024

Currently in production on Season 3 in Cumming’s native Scotland, The Traitors, whose cast mixes reality stars and celebrities from other areas, is a psychological murder mystery game ruled by treachery and deceit. —Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 20 June 2024

Barry, an Irish rogue, manages, through evolving deceits, to pass himself off as an English aristocrat. —Charles Bethea, The New Yorker, 3 July 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