deceit

American  

[dih-seet] / dɪˈsit /

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

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deceit British  

/ 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

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Usage

What does deceit mean? Deceit is the act or practice of deceiving—lying, misleading, or otherwise hiding or distorting the truth. The word deception often means the same thing and is perhaps more commonly used. Deceit doesn’t just involve lying. It can consist of misrepresenting or omitting the truth or more complicated cover-ups. Anything that involves intentionally misleading someone is deceit. The word deceit often implies a pattern of behavior, rather than a one-time act. The adjective deceitful can describe something that deceives or is intended to deceive, or someone who is known for engaging in deceit. Less commonly, the word deceit can refer to an action, scheme, or trick intended to deceive, as in It was a clever deceit, but I didn’t fall for it. Another less common sense of the word refers to the quality of being deceitful. A deceitful person can be said to be full of deceit. Example: I’m sick of your constant lying and deceit—I can’t trust anything you say!

Synonym Usage

See duplicity

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nondeceit
  noun

Etymology

Origin of deceit

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”; see deceive

Explanation

Deceit is purposeful falsehood. If you want to keep your true love true to you, avoid any acts of deceit. Deceit comes from the Latin for "cheat." When you deceive someone, you give them a false impression, mislead them so as to get away with something bad. If a person speaks in a way that gives a false impression, we call the way he speaks "deceptive." If someone pretends to be someone else, that’s an act of deceit, like when a thief pretends to be a valet parking attendant and takes off with your car.

Example Sentences

If we treat the women in our lives with disrespect and deceit, we aren’t exactly the picture of a feminist ally.

From Slate • Jun. 2, 2026

OpenAI’s explosive growth has come on the back of a “web of deceit and the exploitation of users,” alleges Florida’s attorney general in a new lawsuit.

From MarketWatch • Jun. 1, 2026

Lies, deceit and manipulation might be the core principles of our modern world, but that doesn’t make them any less infuriating.

From Salon • Apr. 29, 2026

His research ranged from the evolutionary dimension of human altruism to the logic of deceit and self-deception.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 26, 2026

Sometimes I came upon them standing close, arms encircling waists, heads close, as if they shared secrets that transcended the hurt and resentments, the name-calling and deceit.

From "When I Was Puerto Rican" by Esmeralda Santiago

Related Words

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