deceitful 1 of 2

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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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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deceitfulness

2 of 2

noun

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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
Adjective
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 This discrepancy doesn’t necessarily mean that companies are being deceitful. Matt Fuchs, TIME, 21 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for deceitful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for deceitful
Adjective
  • On May 30, 2025, a Pennsylvania federal court refused NFL player agent Todd France’s request to vacate a December 2023 arbitration decision which ordered France to pay over $800,000 in damages to rival agent Jason Bernstein and which excoriated France for fraudulent conduct.
    Chris Deubert, Forbes.com, 31 May 2025
  • The couple were convicted of conspiring to defraud community banks out of more than $30 million in fraudulent loans as well as tax evasion and sentenced to 12 and seven years, respectively.
    Brie Stimson, FOXNews.com, 30 May 2025
Adjective
  • During the defense’s cross-examination of Kid Cudi, lawyers representing Combs portrayed Ventura as deceptive of both men.
    Conor Murray, Forbes.com, 22 May 2025
  • California’s attorney general, Rob Bonta, filed a suit against ExxonMobil last year that, in part, accuses the oil giant of deceptive claims regarding chemical recycling, which the company disputes.
    Susanne Rust, Los Angeles Times, 22 May 2025
Noun
  • But these seductions or deceptions are canceled when the work confronts us with the photographic records of the performative procedure itself—and not only by making the photograph an integral component, the dialectical complement to the material sculptural production.
    Benjamin H. D. Buchloh, Artforum, 1 June 2025
  • He’s got some deception on the puck and does a good job holding onto it to wait for secondary options to open up, but slows the game down too much.
    Scott Wheeler, New York Times, 29 May 2025
Noun
  • None of these spring explorations of sisterly deceit and self-deception has been able to surpass Apple TV+’s Bad Sisters as the recent genre peak.
    Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 28 May 2025
  • Starring Tom Cruise, the movies are loaded with action, deceit and globe-spanning adventures – everything a good spy film should be.
    Keith Langston, People.com, 24 May 2025
Adjective
  • Harvard’s dishonest expert on honesty is a poignant symbol of a far larger problem in academia: ideological allegiance replacing the quest for truth.
    Andrew Follett, National Review, 31 May 2025
  • On one hand, the inquiry appeared to play into his rivals’ criticisms of Mr. Cuomo as a dishonest broker, who has been accused of putting nursing home residents at risk during the coronavirus pandemic and seeking to cover it up.
    Nicholas Fandos, New York Times, 21 May 2025
Adjective
  • The couple was convicted in 2022 of conspiring to defraud banks out of more than $30 million in loans by submitting false documents.
    Eric Tucker, Chicago Tribune, 30 May 2025
  • The decision to deploy Dembele as a false nine for a 3-1 home win over Lyon in mid-December proved the spark for a stupendous run of goal-scoring form in which the France international racked up 27 goals in only 22 appearances.
    Tom Williams, New York Times, 30 May 2025
Noun
  • On Monday, the president pardoned Scott Jenkins, a former Virginia sheriff, who was recently sentenced to 10 years in prison after being convicted on charges of conspiracy, fraud and bribery.
    Gabe Whisnant, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 May 2025
  • Instead of addressing waste and fraud and providing adults with a path to productive and independent lives through meaningful work, the Pritzker administration attacks these reform efforts.
    Regan Deering, Chicago Tribune, 28 May 2025
Noun
  • Neither his fearsome resolve nor his supreme cunning—which had enabled him to vanquish his rivals and spiritually crush his inner circle—was in evidence in 1941.
    Stephen Kotkin, Foreign Affairs, 19 Sep. 2017
  • Despite being outnumbered 50-to-1 by the Five Families of the Italian mafia, the Westies’ legendary brutality and cunning have given them the leverage necessary to share the spoils through a fragile détente.
    Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 18 Mar. 2025

Cite this Entry

“Deceitful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/deceitful. Accessed 5 Jun. 2025.

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