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”; see deceive

Explanation

Deceit is purposeful falsehood. If you want to keep your true love true to you, avoid any acts of deceit. Deceit comes from the Latin for "cheat." When you deceive someone, you give them a false impression, mislead them so as to get away with something bad. If a person speaks in a way that gives a false impression, we call the way he speaks "deceptive." If someone pretends to be someone else, that’s an act of deceit, like when a thief pretends to be a valet parking attendant and takes off with your car.

Example Sentences

She is co-author of "UNACCEPTABLE: Privilege, Deceit and the Making of the College Admissions Scandal," published by Penguin Portfolio in 2020.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 8, 2026

The letter was revealed in an extract of a book “The Truth of the Palace Letters: Deceit, Ambush and Dismissal in 1975” by Paul Kelly and Troy Bramston, due to be published next month.

From Reuters • Oct. 24, 2020

Deceit runs deep in my columns this week.

From Washington Post • Aug. 4, 2020

Byliner, for example, published Jon Krakauer's expansive and controversial exposé of author and activist Greg Mortenson, "Three Cups of Deceit."

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 31, 2015

We should be happier could we see each other’s Thoughts & there should be no Deceit.

From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume II: The Kingdom on the Waves" by M.T. Anderson

Related Words

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