də̇ˈsēt, dēˈ-, usu -ēd.+V noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English deceite, from Old French, from Latin decepta, feminine of deceptus, past participle of decipere to deceive
1. : the act or practice of deceiving (as by falsification, concealment, or cheating) : deception
politics, being the art of deceit , suits only little minds — Encore
2.
a. : an attempt to deceive : a declaration, artifice, or practice designed to mislead another : wily device : trick , fraud
b. : any trick, collusion, contrivance, false representation, or underhand practice used to defraud another — see fraud
3. : a disposition to deceive : deceitfulness , stratagem , wile
far from deceit or guile — John Milton
Synonyms:
deceit , duplicity , dissimulation , cunning , guile can mean, in common, the quality, act, or practice of imposing on credulity by dishonesty, fraud, or trickery. deceit implies the intent to mislead and can cover misrepresentation, falsification, fraud, or trickery of any kind
believes that deceit and mistrust are the essence of human relationships — Bergen Evans
they held that the basest trickery or deceit was not dishonorable if directed against a foe — American Guide Series: Rhode Island
there is an element of sham and deceit in every imitation — John Dewey
duplicity usually implies double-dealing, bad faith, or false pretense
preaches honesty but practices duplicity — Leo Pfeffer
so habitual was her duplicity that she would gaze softly at you, saying nothing when she was deceiving you — Ethel Wilson
the cunning and duplicity they practiced — W.H.Hudson †1922
dissimulation implies deceit by concealing what one actually is or feels
some in the household were convinced that her ravings and absurd actions were cunning dissimulation — E.J.Simmons
she had revealed of late a chronic habit of dissimulation, and it was impossible to decide whether she was lying for diversion or speaking the truth from necessity — Ellen Glasgow
cunning implies, in one use, deceit by trickery or strategem or, in another similar use, an extreme, often vicious shrewdness
with such masterly cunning did they lay their measures for the avoidance of every possible chance of detection — George Meredith
a third-rate, ungenerous person with a low mean cunning that is contemptible — H.J.Laski
a people whose ruthlessness, tenacity, power, and cunning are … great — D.L.Cohn
the bear is a favorite animal of the big-game hunter because of its cunning and agility — R.E.Trippensee
guile stresses, more than cunning, a subtle concealment or lack of obviousness of the arts practiced or tricks used
he had not the guile, patience, or ruthlessness to make a good Secret Service chief — Karl Robson
guile and trickery — Willa Cather
and occurring most commonly in certain stock phrases, usually negative, the word has come to have a much weaker sense than cunning, implying only artfulness or the use of wiles
his profound innocence, that thorough absence of guile — Harvey Breit
her deceit and illusion were harmless, wholly without guile — William Beebe
she cannot be honest in the legal sense when this minor honesty inhibits her purpose, but this is guile rather than dishonesty — Sidney Monas
Synonym: see in addition imposture .