chicanery

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

noun

plural

chicaneries 

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

The likelihood, I’m told, of the press moving out increased after Cheung accused us of chicanery.

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Forever Young was almost the victim of some legal chicanery on Saturday as trainer Chad Brown entered a horse — called a rabbit — with little chance to win so that he could set a fast pace.

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The investor who foresaw the collapse of Enron, he has one of the most sensitive noses for financial chicanery — and the ebbs and flows of investor credulence — in the business.

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In retrospect, the “Conor” moment in the Oval Office on March 12 looks like a set-up — or, more to the point, like a devious and especially petty work of MAGA-world chicanery.

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Predictably, House Speaker Mike Johnson chimed in with his own false election claims, asserting that Republicans lost three California House seats in November because of vote-counting chicanery.

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Related Words

• dishonesty 
• duplicity 
• machination 
• stratagem