deceit

[ dih-seet ]

noun

1. the act or practice of deceiving; concealment or distortion of the truth for the purpose of misleading; duplicity; fraud; cheating:

   Once she exposed their deceit, no one ever trusted them again.

   Synonyms: dissimulation, deception

2. an act or device intended to deceive; trick; stratagem.
3. the quality of being deceitful; duplicity; falseness:

   a man full of deceit.

   Antonyms: sincerity, honesty

deceit

/ dɪˈsiːt /

noun

1. the act or practice of deceiving
2. a statement, act, or device intended to mislead; fraud; trick
3. a tendency to deceive

Other Words From

• nonde·ceit noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of deceit¹

First recorded in 1225–75; Middle English deceite, from Anglo-French, Old French, noun use of feminine of deceit “deceived,” past participle of deceivre “to deceive”; deceive

Word History and Origins

Origin of deceit¹

C13: from Old French deceite, from deceivre to deceive

Synonym Study

See duplicity

Example Sentences

When she realised it had been a phishing email, she contacted her bank and cancelled the card – but the deceit did not end there.

From BBC

"The impact of his deceit and manipulation will be long felt, but justice has been served today," McGrath said.

From BBC

The fact check is amnesiac insofar as it does not acknowledge the clear pattern of deceit from the man whose denial it takes at face value.

From Slate

The media must find better ways to roll their individual callouts of Trumpist deceit into clear, compelling counternarratives that lay bare the broader pattern.

From Slate

A few months later MacCallum was arrested and the full extent of the theft and deceit began to unravel.

From BBC

Related Words

• chicanery
• deception
• dishonesty
• duplicity
• fraud
• hypocrisy
• treachery
• trickery