deceit

[dih-seet]

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

deceit

/ 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

Other Word Forms

• nondeceit noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of deceit¹

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”; deceive

Word History and Origins

Origin of deceit¹

C13: from Old French deceite, from deceivre to _deceive

Synonym Study

See duplicity

Example Sentences

In the days and weeks after the 2020 election, partisans across the country used lies and deceit to try to defraud the American people and steal the White House.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Suddenly, I find myself replaying every single one of the stories Grandma used to tell me—stories of gods who wove webs of deceit, and of monsters that went bump in the night.

Read more on Literature

"I just don't think Alan would be able to comprehend the enormous sense of gratitude we have to him for being our patron and for putting himself through all that lying and deceit."

Read more on BBC

A society with deep, troubling economic problems had rigged itself to disguise those problems, and the chief beneficiaries of the deceit were its financial middlemen.

Read more on Literature

They are mere dramatic deceits, liquid coming on cue.

Read more on Salon

Related Words

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

When To Use

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!