chicanery
Americannoun
-
verbal deception or trickery, esp in legal quibbling; dishonest or sharp practice
-
a trick, deception, or quibble
Etymology
Origin of chicanery
From the French word chicanerie, dating back to 1605–15. See chicane, -ery
Explanation
Have you ever gotten the sense that politicians or corporate leaders will say anything to turn public opinion their way? This tricky kind of deceit and manipulation is called chicanery. Besides chicanery, another funny-sounding word for trickery is shenanigans. Whereas the former is always used in the singular and involves deceptive language, the latter is usually used in the plural and refers to the actions of a person. Your crazy neighbor is up to his old shenanigans if he has begun doing weird stuff again, but if a politician's chicanery is exposed, he will lose public trust and not be returned to office in the next election cycle.
Vocabulary lists containing chicanery
100 Words Every High School Graduate Should Know
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"Simon's Saga," Vocabulary from Episode 1
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"Bones" Producer's Lawsuit Full of Great Vocabulary
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Chicanery: Remember when a large majority of Floridians voted to grant former felons the right to vote during the midterms?
From Slate • May 3, 2019
Chicanery within state-owned companies, the banking sector and government ministries, Doanh and other critics say, has prevented a more equitable distribution of prosperity.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 1, 2015
Chicanery: opening up a space where there are no rules Sleeping Beast Games's iOS title, Spaceteam, also comes to mind as an anarchic influence as Aitcheson moves on with his talk.
From The Guardian • May 20, 2013
In Chicanery, each player puts their finger on a corner of the screen and has to hold it for as long as they can.
From The Guardian • May 20, 2013
Chicanery in the blood, one might imagine, has to be worked out.
From Paul Kelver, a Novel by Jerome, Jerome K. (Jerome Klapka)
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
