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
as in deceptive
tending or having power to deceive
the deceitful salesman neglected to mention some important information about the used car
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Their false claims about getting financially fleeced by Uncle Sam were fueled by a rather sophisticated, albeit deceitful and shameful lobbying campaign, sponsored by greedy gadflies out to make a quick buck.
—
Tom Margenau, Dallas Morning News, 1 Feb. 2026
The book goes into the deceitful methods used to secure the interview, which was broadcast on 20 November 1995, and the interest in figuring out what happened that exists to this day.
—Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 30 Nov. 2025
Others agreed that her actions were thoughtful, not deceitful.
—Ashley Vega, PEOPLE, 12 Nov. 2025
The father, Fyodor Karamazov, is a grasping, lecherous, deceitful, and shameless widower.
—Karl Ove Knausgaard, New Yorker, 21 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for deceitful
Tom Margenau, Dallas Morning News, 1 Feb. 2026
The book goes into the deceitful methods used to secure the interview, which was broadcast on 20 November 1995, and the interest in figuring out what happened that exists to this day.
—Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 30 Nov. 2025
Others agreed that her actions were thoughtful, not deceitful.
—Ashley Vega, PEOPLE, 12 Nov. 2025
The father, Fyodor Karamazov, is a grasping, lecherous, deceitful, and shameless widower.
—Karl Ove Knausgaard, New Yorker, 21 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for deceitful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for deceitful
Adjective
-
Regardless of whether the debt is fraudulent, that check can provide a more confident understanding of what’s going on.—
William Tong,
Dallas Morning News,
20 Mar. 2026
-
Smith earned millions of dollars from his fraudulent streams, siphoning off royalties from the legitimate artists in the royalty pool.—
Ethan Millman,
HollywoodReporter,
19 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
On March 24, the jury found that Meta had violated the state’s consumer protection law by knowingly engaging in an unfair or deceptive trade practice.—
Diana Novak Jones,
USA Today,
25 Mar. 2026
-
Admittedly, Palace’s results had been rather deceptive.—
Matt Woosnam,
New York Times,
25 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Asked about those allegations, Grossi said his role is to provide technical expertise, not to weigh in on whether Iran was honest or dishonest.—
Joe Walsh,
CBS News,
20 Mar. 2026
-
This is dishonest and partisan.—
Letters to the Editor,
The Orlando Sentinel,
13 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
And some statistics can be misleading, as well.—
Talia Soglin,
Chicago Tribune,
22 Mar. 2026
-
Former employees of the DHS office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties in a statement to Congress this month accused the department of providing lawmakers with a misleading report of civil rights complaints there.—
Ximena Bustillo,
NPR,
21 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
The problem is that such inferences are often wildly speculative and will almost certainly lead to false convictions or arrests.—
Graham Hillard,
The Washington Examiner,
20 Mar. 2026
-
The defendants and company executives allegedly prepared false documents and communications to show that the company was the end user of the servers.—
Michael Sinkewicz,
FOXNews.com,
20 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Deceitful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/deceitful. Accessed 26 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
