Synonym Chooser

How does the noun deception differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of deception are double-dealing, fraud, subterfuge, and trickery. While all these words mean "the acts or practices of one who deliberately deceives," deception may or may not imply blameworthiness, since it may suggest cheating or merely tactical resource.

magicians are masters of deception

Where would double-dealing be a reasonable alternative to deception?

In some situations, the words double-dealing and deception are roughly equivalent. However, double-dealing suggests treachery or at least action contrary to a professed attitude.

a go-between suspected of double-dealing

When would fraud be a good substitute for deception?

While in some cases nearly identical to deception, fraud always implies guilt and often criminality in act or practice.

indicted for fraud

When can subterfuge be used instead of deception?

Although the words subterfuge and deception have much in common, subterfuge suggests the adoption of a stratagem or the telling of a lie in order to escape guilt or to gain an end.

obtained the papers by subterfuge

In what contexts can trickery take the place of deception?

The words trickery and deception are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, trickery implies ingenious acts intended to dupe or cheat.

resorted to trickery to gain their ends

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 deception Likewise, be careful in all your financial dealings with others (business or personal), because an element of confusion or deception is likely today. Georgia Nicols, Denver Post, 23 Sep. 2025 So, perhaps the issue is the deception and not the expense. R. Eric Thomas, Mercury News, 20 Sep. 2025 But with this shift comes a new era of digital deception. Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 20 Sep. 2025 As the subterranean situation deteriorates, the deceptions Max’s and Ane’s parents have been weaving since their own teen years to protect their egos and easy lives unravel along with their lavish aboveground lifestyles. Judy Berman, Time, 19 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for deception
Recent Examples of Synonyms for deception
Noun
  • And with that comes deceit and manipulation.
    Stephanie Nolasco, FOXNews.com, 29 Sep. 2025
  • There’s a lot of deceit, and not necessarily in an evil way.
    Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 29 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • 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
  • And the next pretext might not be crime; it might be supposed voter fraud, a phenomenon that is statistically almost non-existent.
    Elizabeth Goitein, Time, 27 Sep. 2025
  • But Giuliani accused the company again of contributing to voter fraud not long after on his radio show.
    Ross O'Keefe, The Washington Examiner, 27 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • People make close, intense bonds when stuck in the Big Brother house together, and Vince and Morgan’s dynamic crosses more lines with each passing day, emotional cheating threatening to tip into physical even as Vince continues to hopelessly cloak his feelings in flimsy analogies and code phrases.
    Ben Rosenstock, Vulture, 27 Sep. 2025
  • Emotional cheating occurs when someone develops a strong connection with someone other than their committed partner, leading to them sharing intimate thoughts, feelings and experiences, Sara Kuburic, a psychotherapist, previously wrote in USA TODAY.
    Melina Khan, USA Today, 25 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • Federico Marchetti, the Italian fashion entrepreneur, is a master of sprezzatura—the courtier’s art of cloaking ambition and cunning in an air of guileless nonchalance.
    John Seabrook, New Yorker, 29 Sep. 2025
  • 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.
    Denise Petski, Deadline, 9 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Deception.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/deception. Accessed 4 Oct. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on deception

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