deceitful
Americanadjective
Usage
What does deceitful mean? Deceitful means intended to or tending to deceive—to lie, mislead, or otherwise hide or distort the truth. The noun deceit most commonly refers to the act or practice of deceiving, but it can also refer to the quality of someone or something that deceives. A deceitful person can be said to be full of deceit. Deceitful can describe people, their actions, or something that deceives or is intended to deceive, as in It was a deceitful plan from the beginning. The word deceptive has a very similar meaning, but it’s typically applied to actions or practices, as in deceptive business practices. Being deceitful 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 deceitful. Words like deceit and deceitful often imply a pattern of behavior, rather than a one-time act. Example: I’m sick of how deceitful you are—I can’t trust anything you say!
Other Word Forms
- deceitfully adverb
- deceitfulness noun
- undeceitful adjective
Etymology
Origin of deceitful
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English; deceit + -ful
Explanation
Do you like to tell lies? Then you're deceitful — someone who's untrustworthy, two-faced, or fraudulent. Being called deceitful is not a compliment: deceitful words are misleading and deceitful people tend to lie or deceive others. You can say a corrupt business is deceitful, and a two-faced politician is deceitful. A deceitful story is meant to trick you in some way, and a deceitful friend is no friend at all — they're someone you shouldn't trust. Deceitful is the opposite of honest.
Vocabulary lists containing deceitful
Power Suffix: -ful
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Fake It 'Til You Make It: Synonyms for "False"
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Negative Words to Describe a Person
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Martin, a respected doctor, is charming, as handsome as “an Italian movie star” and sociopathically deceitful.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 26, 2026
And it’s gone along on the same trajectory with deceitful disclosures.
From Slate • Feb. 4, 2026
“May today’s sentencing deter anyone who seeks to greedily profit off their clients through deceitful practices,” Raia said in a statement.
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 18, 2025
"I just want people to be accountable, and I don't want them getting away with being deceitful and dishonest," he adds.
From BBC • Aug. 1, 2025
She was not a minx, not deceitful, not designing and heartless.
From "The Once and Future King" by T. H. White
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
