chicanery

[ shi-key-nuh-ree, chi- ]

noun

plural chicaneries.

1. trickery or deception by quibbling or sophistry:

   He resorted to the worst flattery and chicanery to win the job.

   Synonyms: knavery, deception, fraud

2. a quibble or subterfuge used to trick, deceive, or evade.

   Synonyms: evasion

chicanery

/ ʃɪˈkeɪnərɪ /

noun

1. verbal deception or trickery, esp in legal quibbling; dishonest or sharp practice
2. a trick, deception, or quibble

Word History and Origins

Origin of chicanery¹

From the French word chicanerie, dating back to 1605–15. See chicane, -ery

Example Sentences

In retrospect, the “Conor” moment in the Oval Office on March 12 looks like a set-up — or, more to the point, like a devious and especially petty work of MAGA-world chicanery.

From Salon

Predictably, House Speaker Mike Johnson chimed in with his own false election claims, asserting that Republicans lost three California House seats in November because of vote-counting chicanery.

From Los Angeles Times

Adopting any cat should not require exploiting a connection, a studious application of loopholes and other chicanery.

From Salon

Politicians had to "stop insulting your intelligence with the chicanery of easy answers, when that is exactly how we got into this mess in the first place", he said.

From BBC

Somehow the easy ones were allegations of Russian collusion somehow related to Hunter Biden's laptop and supposed ballot box chicanery.

From Salon

Related Words

• dishonesty
• duplicity
• machination
• stratagem