First Known Use: 15th century
Dictionary
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
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Origin of DECEPTION
Middle English decepcioun, from Anglo-French deception, from Late Latin deception-, deceptio, from Latin decipere to deceive
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>.
Rhymes with DECEPTION
DECEPTIONAL Defined for Kids
deception
noun de·cep·tion \di-ˈsep-shən\
Definition of DECEPTION for Kids
1
: the act of making someone believe something that is not true <Magicians are masters of deception.>
2
: 1trick 1 <His clever deception fooled me.>
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