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

• crooked
• defrauding
• dishonest
• double-dealing
• false
• fraudulent

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

Meanwhile, mailers sent out by the California Real Estate Independent Expenditure Committee and the Silicon Valley Biz PAC have called Chavez-Lopez deceitful and exploitative of the housing crisis. —Devan Patel, Mercury News, 7 Apr. 2025

Competition supersedes cooperation, doing so in rather deceitful ways. —Lance Eliot, Forbes, 21 Mar. 2025

Evolving Digital Fraud Scams are an age-old phenomenon, where deceitful individuals attempt to manipulate others into handing over their money or private information for malicious purposes. —Ranjita Iyer, Forbes, 18 Mar. 2025

Although many online gambling venues have terms of service that bar underage use, some teens use deceitful methods to sidestep state law. —Adam Hudacek, Baltimore Sun, 10 Mar. 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