conceit

American  

[kuhn-seet] / kənˈsit /

noun

1. an excessively favorable opinion of one's own ability, importance, wit, etc.

   Synonyms:

   complacency, egotism, vanity, self-esteem

   Antonyms:

   humility

2. something that is conceived in the mind; a thought; idea.

   He jotted down the conceits of his idle hours.

3. imagination; fancy.

4. a fancy; whim; fanciful notion.

5. an elaborate, fanciful metaphor, especially of a strained or far-fetched nature.

6. the use of such metaphors as a literary characteristic, especially in poetry.

7. a fancy, purely decorative article.

8. British Dialect.

   1. favorable opinion; esteem.

   2. personal opinion or estimation.

9. Obsolete. the faculty of conceiving; apprehension.

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verb (used with object)

1. to flatter (especially oneself ).

2. British Dialect. to take a fancy to; have a good opinion of.

3. Obsolete.

   1. to imagine.

   2. to conceive; apprehend.

idioms

1. out of conceit with, displeased or dissatisfied with.

conceit British  

/ kənˈsiːt /

noun

1. a high, often exaggerated, opinion of oneself or one's accomplishments; vanity

2. literary an elaborate image or far-fetched comparison, esp as used by the English Metaphysical poets

3. archaic

   1. a witty expression

   2. fancy; imagination

   3. an idea

4. obsolete a small ornament

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verb

1. dialect to like or be able to bear (something, such as food or drink)

2. obsolete to think or imagine

Related Words

See pride.

Etymology

Origin of conceit

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English conceyte, conceipt, derivative of conceive by analogy with deceive, deceit and receive, receipt; compare Anglo-French conceite; concept

Explanation

If you’re always boasting and can’t stop talking about yourself, you have that character flaw known as conceit. Your friends — if you have any — may also complain about your arrogance, vanity, and egotism. A conceit can also be an artistic device — probably a little forced — like the plot of a movie built on the conceit of everything that happens being foretold in song. You might find an architectural conceit in a Baroque palace, where you think you’re looking down a long hallway lined with columns, but when you get closer you see that it's really a mural painted in perspective so that the columns only seem to disappear in the distance.

Example Sentences

“It was more exciting, the idea of taking this same kind of conceit of a real person in a sitcom-like environment, and putting it in other worlds.”

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 20, 2026

Advocates of administrative tribunals claim they’re more efficient than federal courts, but the Ross case belies this conceit.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 11, 2026

The conceit sounds simple today: Kids are given a small plastic key, for which they insert in a box near an installation and then are regaled with music and a short nursery rhyme or folktale.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 21, 2026

Even so, Hawley’s stellar adaptation of a decades-old blockbuster conceit proves that the right take on a classic movie monster can yield provocative storytelling.

From Salon • Dec. 17, 2025

His face goes blank, and he looks down at Helene without conceit or triumph.

From "An Ember in the Ashes" by Sabaa Tahir

Related Words

• arrogance