1
as in deception
the inclination or practice of misleading others through lies or trickery
a rise to power that was marked by treachery and deceit
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in deceitfulness
the tendency to tell lies
she's completely free of deceit
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of deceit
Emotional confusion, even deceit, and certainly judgmental attitudes are in the air.
—
Georgia Nicols, Denver Post, 8 Jan. 2026
Standing against them is notorious kingpin Bada Chaudhary (Sharad Kelkar), whose syndicate operates through layers of deceit through corridors in Saudi Arabia, Ethopia, Italy, Thailand and the UK.
—Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 7 Jan. 2026
The owner of a popular Fisherman’s Wharf restaurant has been sentenced to federal prison in a bribery scheme, but prosecutors are now accusing him of getting a lighter prison term through deceit.
—Nate Gartrell, Mercury News, 29 Dec. 2025
The boys are perhaps too simple and too sheltered, and can’t access the casual judgment that has to exist behind irony, or the desire to manipulate that is behind even very small deceits.
—James Folta, Literary Hub, 18 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for deceit
Georgia Nicols, Denver Post, 8 Jan. 2026
Standing against them is notorious kingpin Bada Chaudhary (Sharad Kelkar), whose syndicate operates through layers of deceit through corridors in Saudi Arabia, Ethopia, Italy, Thailand and the UK.
—Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 7 Jan. 2026
The owner of a popular Fisherman’s Wharf restaurant has been sentenced to federal prison in a bribery scheme, but prosecutors are now accusing him of getting a lighter prison term through deceit.
—Nate Gartrell, Mercury News, 29 Dec. 2025
The boys are perhaps too simple and too sheltered, and can’t access the casual judgment that has to exist behind irony, or the desire to manipulate that is behind even very small deceits.
—James Folta, Literary Hub, 18 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for deceit
Recent Examples of Synonyms for deceit
Noun
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Named one of the 10 Best Books of 2025 by The New York Times, Angel Down follows Private Cyril Bagger, who has managed to survive the unspeakable horrors of WWI through his wits and deception, swindling fellow soldiers at every opportunity.—
Matt Grobar,
Deadline,
26 Jan. 2026
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The drama about power, deception, and the complex bond between father and son is set in 1930s New York as international financier Gregor Antonescu’s empire faces collapse.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
26 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Perfidy — from the French perfidie via the Latin perfidia — means deceitfulness, treachery or a breach of faith or promise.—
Harmeet Kaur,
CNN Money,
21 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Of course, the retort is that this would be irritating and exasperating to be continually deluged with alerts about AI deceptiveness.—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes.com,
24 Aug. 2025
Noun
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Done well, this shift not only limits dishonesty but also creates richer opportunities for students to demonstrate learning.—
Ulrich Boser,
Forbes.com,
20 Jan. 2026
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These stereotypes of greed and dishonesty occur again and again in the Greek and Roman sources in discussions of Carthage.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
15 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Broderick asked whether the government picked the five states first and then did research into whether there were fraud claims there.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
24 Jan. 2026
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According to the indictment, Brett Rosen also regularly used the site to defend himself against accusations of fraud and market manipulation at least as early as 2021.—
Alex Riggins,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
23 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Emotional cheating involves starting a relationship with someone.—
Abigail Van Buren,
Boston Herald,
23 Jan. 2026
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The Justice Department's most high-profile Clean Air Act criminal case related to emissions cheating was Volkswagen.—
Sarah N. Lynch,
CBS News,
21 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Because Maradona, in a burst of cunning and trickery, also used his hand.—
Esteban Campanela,
CNN Money,
25 Nov. 2025
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Landing a good apartment in New York City can take some cunning.—
Matthew Sedacca,
Curbed,
5 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Deceit.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/deceit. Accessed 31 Jan. 2026.
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