SYNONYMS AND RELATED EXPRESSIONS
deceit
noun
The act of deliberately misleading someone through false statements or appearances.
Local English device voice, when available. This is not a recorded dictionary pronunciation.
Deliberate misleading
Closest synonyms
Related words and expressions
These extend or explain the idea and may require a different sentence structure.
Usage distinction
Return to topA falsehood can be accidental; deceit requires an intention to mislead.
CHECK THE MEANING IN CONTEXT
See deceit in use
The invented references turned a weak argument into an act of deceit.
A fictional residents' bulletin published a misrepresentation of a gardener's suggestion, turning a request for fewer flowerpots into a demand to remove the whole courtyard garden. The editor first needed to establish whether that inaccurate account resulted from misunderstanding or deceit.
Compare an alternative with the original word in each passage. Shared meanings do not make every pair interchangeable.
Synonym reference scope and sources
The groups distinguish the senses selected for this study entry. Closest synonyms and broader related expressions have separate labels. The listed sources support lexical selection; not every phrase is a direct quotation from a source.
How the synonym reference was prepared / WordNet 3.0 license