deception

noun de·cep·tion \di-ˈsep-shən\

: the act of making someone believe something that is not true : the act of deceiving someone

: an act or statement intended to make people believe something that is not true

Full Definition of DECEPTION

a : the act of deceiving

b : the fact or condition of being deceived

: something that deceives : trick <a clever deception>

— de·cep·tion·al \-shə-nəl\ adjective

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Origin of DECEPTION

Middle English decepcioun, from Anglo-French deception, from Late Latin deception-, deceptio, from Latin decipere to deceive

First Known Use: 15th century

Related to DECEPTION

Synonyms: artifice, cheating, cozenage, craft, craftiness, crookedness, crookery, cunning, cunningness, deceitfulness, deceit, deceptiveness, dishonesty, dissembling, dissimulation, double-dealing, dupery, duplicity, fakery, foxiness, fraud, guile, guilefulness, wiliness

Antonyms: artlessness, forthrightness, good faith, guilelessness, ingenuousness, sincerity

Synonym Discussion of DECEPTION

deception, fraud, double-dealing, subterfuge, trickery mean the acts or practices of one who deliberately deceives. deception may or may not imply blameworthiness, since it may suggest cheating or merely tactical resource <magicians are masters of deception>. fraud always implies guilt and often criminality in act or practice <indicted for fraud>. double-dealing suggests treachery or at least action contrary to a professed attitude <a go-between suspected of double-dealing>. subterfuge suggests the adoption of a stratagem or the telling of a lie in order to escape guilt or to gain an end <obtained the papers by subterfuge>. trickery implies ingenious acts intended to dupe or cheat <resorted to trickery to gain their ends>.