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.
Of greater concern to Dan Moody, the governor of Texas, was the town’s notorious administrative chicanery.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 24, 2026
Did he feel he needed to shake up his players by warning them of supposed chicanery?
From BBC • Mar. 7, 2026
By highlighting some of this procedural chicanery, Kagan’s dissent in Mirabelli laid bare, in remarkably blunt fashion, the tip of a dreadful iceberg.
From Slate • Mar. 4, 2026
You can go on with your life free of other people’s chicanery and hopefully enjoy the last days of 2025 without being caught up in a “L’Affaire du Vin Manquant.”
From MarketWatch • Dec. 24, 2025
In his glory days, Carpenter elevated the ploys and chicanery of his trade to a devilish art.
From "The Underground Railroad: A Novel" by Colson Whitehead
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.
