1
as in fraudulent
marked by, based on, or done by the use of dishonest methods to acquire something of value 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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

2

Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective deceitful differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of deceitful are dishonest, mendacious, and untruthful. While all these words mean "unworthy of trust or belief," deceitful usually implies an intent to mislead and commonly suggests a false appearance or double-dealing.

the secret affairs of a deceitful spouse

When would dishonest be a good substitute for deceitful?

In some situations, the words dishonest and deceitful are roughly equivalent. However, dishonest implies a willful perversion of truth in order to deceive, cheat, or defraud.

a swindle usually involves two dishonest people

Where would mendacious be a reasonable alternative to deceitful?

The meanings of mendacious and deceitful largely overlap; however, 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

When might untruthful be a better fit than deceitful?

While the synonyms untruthful and deceitful are close in meaning, untruthful stresses a discrepancy between what is said and fact or reality.

an untruthful account of their actions

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of deceitful Everybody’s playing, everybody’s being deceitful, and Matthew isn’t the worst. William Earl, Variety, 22 Aug. 2025 This newsletter, Translating Politics, was created to help readers sift through Donald Trump’s always chaotic and often deceitful rhetoric during his second term as president. Chris Brennan, USA Today, 14 Aug. 2025 Wood did not know the details of the deceitful story that scammers told the man. Susan Tompor, Freep.com, 10 July 2025 Supporters say the measures are intended to address potential threats to public safety or personal privacy and to counter any deceitful actions facilitated by AI, while not hindering innovation. Chicago Tribune, 7 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for deceitful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for deceitful
Adjective
  • Websites with unusually long browser names or a lack of searchable company representatives or contact information could be fraudulent.
    Tamia Fowlkes, jsonline.com, 24 Oct. 2025
  • Trump wasted no time in taking to Truth Social to lambast the video as fake and fraudulent.
    Kate Nishimura, Sourcing Journal, 24 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • In New Jersey, creating or sharing deceptive AI media can lead to prison time and fines.
    Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 25 Oct. 2025
  • But the first time around, producers relied on deceptive camera angles and some CGI to edit out her pregnancy belly.
    Shania Russell, Entertainment Weekly, 23 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • Matthiessen, not without reason, portrays the Bureau as paranoid, dishonest, and in league with corporate interests.
    Maggie Doherty, New Yorker, 13 Oct. 2025
  • For that incredibly dishonest assessment that actually did a disservice to the country, Obama is held up to widespread praise by Democrats and others, even winning the Nobel Peace Prize in 2009.
    Joe Battenfeld, Boston Herald, 11 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • He has been criticized for making unscientific and misleading statements, including COVID-19 misinformation and promoting conspiracy theories, and affirming antisemitic, racist, and transphobic comments.
    Miranda Jeyaretnam, Time, 28 Oct. 2025
  • Murphy said that’s misleading because many incidents never make it into official statistics.
    Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, FOXNews.com, 28 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • Several residents who work in the Georgia King Village area weighed in on the incident, including Harriette Guity, who told News12 that false reports based on AI could stretch first responders thin.
    Kimberlee Speakman, PEOPLE, 25 Oct. 2025
  • Archaeologists concluded the structure was actually a false tomb, or a cenotaph, a type of burial monument erected to honor a deceased person buried elsewhere.
    Aspen Pflughoeft, Miami Herald, 24 Oct. 2025

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Deceitful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/deceitful. Accessed 30 Oct. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on deceitful

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!