deceitful

adjective

de·​ceit·​ful di-ˈsēt-fəl 

: having a tendency or disposition to deceive or give false impressions:

a

: not honest

a deceitful person

b

: deceptive, misleading

deceitful advertising

deceitfully

di-ˈsēt-fə-lē 

adverb

deceitfulness noun

Synonyms

• fraudulent
• dishonest
• deceptive
• false

Choose the Right Synonym for deceitful

dishonest, deceitful, mendacious, untruthful mean unworthy of trust or belief.

dishonest implies a willful perversion of truth in order to deceive, cheat, or defraud.

a swindle usually involves two dishonest people

deceitful usually implies an intent to mislead and commonly suggests a false appearance or double-dealing.

the secret affairs of a deceitful spouse

mendacious may suggest bland or even harmlessly mischievous deceit and when used of people often suggests a habit of telling untruths.

mendacious tales of adventure

untruthful stresses a discrepancy between what is said and fact or reality.

an untruthful account of their actions

Examples of deceitful in a Sentence

charged the store owner with such deceitful practices as inflating the list prices for items only so he could put them on sale at drastically reduced prices

the deceitful salesman neglected to mention some important information about the used car

Recent Examples on the Web

The father, Fyodor Karamazov, is a grasping, lecherous, deceitful, and shameless widower. —Karl Ove Knausgaard, New Yorker, 21 Oct. 2025

The bank temporarily increased its numbers until its deceitful actions became public, leading to $185 million in fines and continuous significant expenses for rebuilding customer trust. —Boris Kontsevoi, Forbes.com, 19 Sep. 2025

Advertisement In his first term, President Trump wasn’t happy with Pakistan and described its establishment as deceitful. —Mohammed Hanif, Time, 2 Sep. 2025

Kelley allegedly sent deceitful emails to unwitting postal employees between 2019 and 2023, telling them to intercept packages that were determined to have been sent by victims of a Jamaican scam that targeted Americans. —Brie Stimson, FOXNews.com, 31 Aug. 2025

Word History

Etymology

see deceit

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

deceitful

adjective

de·​ceit·​ful di-ˈsēt-fəl 

1

: practicing or tending to practice trickery

2

: showing or containing deceit or fraud : deceptive

a deceitful answer

deceitfully

-fə-lē 

adverb

deceitfulness

-fəl-nəs

noun