Synonyms of subterfuge

subterfuge

noun

ˈsəb-tər-ˌfyüj 

as in deception

the use of clever underhanded actions to achieve an end

propagandists who use a kind of photographic subterfuge, superimposing one image on another to create a false "reality"

Synonyms & Similar Words

• deception
• treachery
• trickery
• skullduggery
• deceptiveness
• chicanery
• gamesmanship
• skulduggery
• secrecy
• cunning
• stealth
• artfulness
• deceit
• jugglery
• legerdemain
• scheming
• hanky-panky
• plotting
• chicane
• wile
• artifice
• jiggery-pokery
• deceitfulness
• duplicity
• underhandedness
• shrewdness
• sneakiness
• deviousness
• hypocrisy
• slyness
• dishonesty
• insincerity
• double-dealing
• dissimulation
• shiftiness
• slipperiness
• guile
• craftiness
• fakery
• design
• slickness
• crookedness
• wiliness
• quackery
• shadiness
• humbuggery
• imposture
• caginess
• oiliness
• crookery
• dupery
• cageyness
• sharpness
• dirty tricks
• dirty pool
• foxiness
• guilefulness

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• sincerity
• artlessness
• ingenuousness
• forthrightness
• guilelessness
• candor
• directness
• openness
• plainness
• candidness
• plainspokenness

Synonym Chooser

How does the noun subterfuge differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of subterfuge are deception, double-dealing, fraud, and trickery. While all these words mean "the acts or practices of one who deliberately deceives," 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

When could deception be used to replace subterfuge?

Although the words deception and subterfuge have much in common, 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 subterfuge?

The words double-dealing and subterfuge are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, double-dealing suggests treachery or at least action contrary to a professed attitude.

a go-between suspected of double-dealing

When can fraud be used instead of subterfuge?

In some situations, the words fraud and subterfuge are roughly equivalent. However, fraud always implies guilt and often criminality in act or practice.

indicted for fraud

When is trickery a more appropriate choice than subterfuge?

The words trickery and subterfuge can be used in similar contexts, but trickery implies ingenious acts intended to dupe or cheat.

resorted to trickery to gain their ends

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of subterfuge

The only safe refuge, 20 miles away, is the federal garrison at Harpers Ferry, but reaching it will require much subterfuge and even more luck. —Alida Becker, New York Times, 30 Apr. 2025

Remember when Russia was that pesky geopolitical force who’s own constant secrecy and subterfuge brought about the downfall of its imperial ambitions? —Harrison Richlin, IndieWire, 8 Mar. 2025

But this subterfuge is perhaps the very substance of the paintings. —Zoë Hopkins, New York Times, 2 Jan. 2025

The line that the AI isn’t forming a personal opinion is a kind of sneaky subterfuge. —Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 8 May 2025

Podcast

Get Word of the Day delivered to your inbox!