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deceit

deceit

65 4.6
Dishonest action meant to trick someone
  • noun
  • /dɪˈsiːt/
: engaño
  • There's a lot of deceit, betrayal, lying, infidelity.
  • deliberate deceit
  • deceit and hypocrisy
  • deceit and corruption

You start realizing how much deceit is in your message.

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Examples

Synonyms

lie
vsdeceit
∞ 2.7

A false statement told to trick someone

is wider, covering many forms of dishonest behaviour beyond statements
fraud
vsdeceit
607 4.0

Deceiving someone to get money or an unfair advantage

is a general dishonest act, not limited to legal or financial crime
lying
vsdeceit
203 2.1

Telling something that is not true on purpose

is wider, covering tricking by acts other than false statements
deception
vsdeceit
165 3.9

An action that makes someone believe something not true

has the same meaning but names the general dishonest act
cheating
vsdeceit
75 2.1

An act of tricking someone to get an unfair advantage

is broader, covering any trick or dishonest behaviour in many forms
ruse
vsdeceit
60 7.7

A clever trick to deceive someone

is a wider category, including many forms of dishonest behaviour
dishonesty
vsdeceit
43 3.2

Actions like lying, cheating, or stealing

is narrower, focusing on specific acts of tricking or cheating
27 7.5

A statement that gives false information about something

is broader, including deceptive acts beyond false accounts or statements
trickery
vsdeceit
26 4.9

To use dishonest ways to cheat people

covers trick use but also broader dishonest behaviour beyond tricks
dirty trick
vsdeceit
12 4.9

An unfair action meant to harm or cheat someone

is the broader idea of dishonesty not always intended to harm
duplicity
vsdeceit
12 8.1

Dishonest behavior that hides true intentions to trick someone

is the wider term for dishonesty, not only two faced behaviour
chicanery
vsdeceit
  • Formal
8 9.3

Tricks people use to deceive others to get money or advantage

is wider, covering any dishonest behaviour beyond clever legal tricks
dissembling
vsdeceit
3 9.9

Hiding your true feelings or intentions by pretending

is the general action of tricking people, not only by pretense
disingenuousness
vsdeceit
3 8.8

A way of hiding the truth by pretending to be less involved

is broader, covering active trickery beyond mere insincerity
deviousness
vsdeceit
2 7.0

Secret actions that are dishonest or unfair to get what you want

is the broad dishonest action, not only indirect techniques
deceitfulness
vsdeceit
2 6.5

Trying to make other people believe something that is not true

names the actual act of tricking someone rather than a trait
dissimulation
vsdeceit
2 9.8

The act of hiding true feelings or thoughts to fool others

is broader, covering many dishonest acts not only hiding feelings
double-dealing
vsdeceit
2 7.1

Dishonest behavior of pretending one thing but doing another

is the general act of tricking without the two faced element
flam
vsdeceit
  • Archaic
2 9.9

A trick done to cheat or fool people

is the general dishonest behaviour term rather than a single trick
skulduggery
vsdeceit
1 9.8

Secret dishonest actions to get an unfair advantage

is the general dishonest behaviour not limited to secret plots
fraudulence
vsdeceit
1 8.7

Dishonest behaviour that aims to get money or other unfair personal gain

is the broader idea of trickery and dishonest behaviour in general
crookedness
vsdeceit
1 6.9

Dishonest behavior by a person or group

is the active behavior of tricking someone rather than a trait
jiggery-pokery
vsdeceit
  • Archaic
1 9.9

Dishonest actions that try to trick people

is the broader term for tricking or dishonest behaviour in general
deceptiveness
vsdeceit
1 7.2

A quality that makes something seem true when it is false

refers more to actual dishonest acts rather than the quality
misleadingness
vsdeceit
1 9.0

The quality of making people believe something that is not true

is the active dishonest behaviour causing such misleading impressions
dupery
vsdeceit
1 9.9

Tricks that fool people to gain an advantage

is the general category of dishonest behaviour, not only acts

Antonyms

329 1.0

Being truthful and fair in what you say and do

Compounds

1 7.4

Refusing to admit unpleasant truths about yourself

How Deceitful

fraud
607 4.0
deceit
65 4.6
lie
∞ 2.7

Surface Forms

deceit singular
deceits plural

Etymology

Deceit comes from the Latin decipere, made of de- and capere which means 'to take'. Think of deceit as secretly 'taking' someone's trust, and the same root is in the word capture, so deceit means tricking someone and taking advantage of them.