conceit

[ kuhn-seet ]

noun

1. an excessively favorable opinion of one's own ability, importance, wit, etc.

   Synonyms: complacency, egotism, vanity, self-esteem

   Antonyms: humility

2. something that is conceived in the mind; a thought; idea:

   He jotted down the conceits of his idle hours.

3. imagination; fancy.
4. a fancy; whim; fanciful notion.
5. an elaborate, fanciful metaphor, especially of a strained or far-fetched nature.
6. the use of such metaphors as a literary characteristic, especially in poetry.
7. a fancy, purely decorative article.
8. British Dialect.
   1. favorable opinion; esteem.
   2. personal opinion or estimation.
9. Obsolete. the faculty of conceiving; apprehension.

verb (used with object)

1. to flatter (especially oneself ).
2. British Dialect. to take a fancy to; have a good opinion of.
3. Obsolete.
   1. to imagine.
   2. to conceive; apprehend.

conceit

/ kənˈsiːt /

noun

1. a high, often exaggerated, opinion of oneself or one's accomplishments; vanity
2. literary.
   an elaborate image or far-fetched comparison, esp as used by the English Metaphysical poets
3. archaic.
   1. a witty expression
   2. fancy; imagination
   3. an idea
4. obsolete.
   a small ornament

verb

1. dialect.
   to like or be able to bear (something, such as food or drink)
2. obsolete.
   to think or imagine

Word History and Origins

Origin of conceit¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English conceyte, conceipt, derivative of conceive by analogy with deceive, deceit and receive, receipt; compare Anglo-French conceite; concept

Word History and Origins

Origin of conceit¹

C14: from conceive

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. out of conceit with, displeased or dissatisfied with.

Synonym Study

See pride.

Example Sentences

The worthy effort to emphasize that much of the artist’s inventive genius — unfurling in thousands of manuscript pages, rather than oil paint and tempera — makes the dull staging a perhaps unavoidable conceit.

From Los Angeles Times

It breaks the movie out of the conceit of it actually being a live show, and suddenly you shatter the fourth wall.

From Los Angeles Times

As a writer, he showed a distinct wit and emotional insight, and he grew into one of the band’s most prolific pens — the collaged pop-lyric conceit of “Better Than Words” was his idea.

From Los Angeles Times

Zemeckis maintains the frames-within-frames conceit as a transitional flourish in the film version of “Here,” but the plot itself is more about jumping around in time while maintaining the stationary camera.

From Los Angeles Times

The Lego conceit proves an ideal format for visually embodying these tunes, as bouncing abstract creations spring and jiggle to musical life.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• arrogance