deceit

American  

[dih-seet] / dɪˈsit /

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

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deceit British  

/ 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

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Usage

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!

Related Words

See duplicity

Other Word Forms

• nondeceit noun

Etymology

Origin of deceit

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

Related Words

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