First Known Use: 14th century
Dictionary
deceit
noun de·ceit \di-ˈsēt\
: dishonest behavior : behavior that is meant to fool or trick someone
Full Definition of DECEIT
3
: the quality of being deceitful : deceitfulness
See deceit defined for English-language learners
See deceit defined for kids
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Origin of DECEIT
Middle English deceite, from Anglo-French, from Latin decepta, feminine of deceptus, past participle of decipere
Related to DECEIT
- Synonyms
- artifice, cheating, cozenage, craft, craftiness, crookedness, crookery, cunning, cunningness, deceitfulness, deception, deceptiveness, dishonesty, dissembling, dissimulation, double-dealing, dupery, duplicity, fakery, foxiness, fraud, guile, guilefulness, wiliness
- Antonyms
- artlessness, forthrightness, good faith, guilelessness, ingenuousness, sincerity
Rhymes with DECEIT
accrete, aesthete, afreet, athlete, backbeat, backseat, backstreet, bedsheet, bench seat, big beat, bolete, box pleat, box seat, break beat, broadsheet, browbeat, buckwheat, bystreet, call sheet, car seat, cheat sheet, clipsheet, cloud street, cold feet, compete, compleat, complete, conceit, concrete, crabmeat, crib sheet, deadbeat, dead heat, dead meat, defeat, delete, deplete, discreet, discrete, disseat, downbeat, drop seat, drumbeat, dutch treat, effete, elite, en suite, entreat, escheat, excrete, facete, Fleet Street, fly sheet, forcemeat, foresheet, four-peat, gamete, groundsheet, hard wheat, heartbeat, heat-treat, helpmeet, hoofbeat, hot seat, house seat, ice sheet, ill-treat, jump seat, kick pleat, love seat, mainsheet, Main Street, maltreat, mesquite, mincemeat, mistreat, offbeat, Ossete, petite, pink sheet, preheat, rap sheet, receipt, recheat, red heat, red meat, red wheat, regreet, repeat, replete, retreat, scratch sheet, secrete, side street, slip-sheet, soft wheat, spreadsheet, stand treat, swap meet, sweetmeat, tear sheet, terete, three-peat, through street, time sheet, unmeet, unseat, upbeat, vegete, volkslied, white heat
DECEIT Defined for Kids
deceit
noun de·ceit \di-ˈsēt\
Definition of DECEIT for Kids
1
: the act or practice of making someone believe something that is not true : deception <The villain used deceit to further his evil plan.>
2
: a statement or act that is meant to fool or trick someone <We saw through her deceit.>
3
: the quality of being dishonest
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