chicanery

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

noun

, plural chi·can·er·ies.

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

Yet even non-competitive cyclists persist in resorting to all manner of chicanery in order to keep their bikes kickstand-free.

From Outside Online

There are centuries of chicanery to draw upon, after all, and some tried-and-true techniques that simply need to be upgraded for the modern era.

From Washington Post

In the process, it turns a quirky true-life tale of corporate chicanery into an eye-opening examination of the way our beliefs about gender shape the public narrative.

From Washington Blade

In 2018, digital ad buyers lost $19 billion in fraud from bot traffic and other chicanery.

From Ozy

The country has a long history of such chicanery—including an incident in 2007 that predates even Egypt’s seminal service disruption.

From Fortune

An indictment of the sort of financial chicanery that eventually fueled the crash of 2008.

From The Daily Beast

Fans of today adore the cheaters of the past, precisely because of their chicanery.

From The Daily Beast

And the truth is that even if there's a little chicanery going on, the current compensation scheme is working brilliantly.

From The Daily Beast

In 1500 the palace was the shrine of an artistic nobility; to-day it is a temple of chicanery.

From Project Gutenberg

The time will come, however, when old Virginia will stand trifling and chicanery no longer.

From Project Gutenberg

This substitution of chicanery in place of devastation takes place only in an uncertain degree.

From Project Gutenberg

To be defeated by rascality, by a clever turn of chicanery, never disturbed him—that was legitimate.

From Project Gutenberg

A goodly portion of my life has been spent in battling with superstition, credulity and chicanery in every form.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• dishonesty
• duplicity
• machination
• stratagem