DECEITFUL Synonyms: 103 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How does the adjective 'deceitful' differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of deceitful are dishonest , mendacious , and untruthful . While all these words mean "unworthy of trust or belief," deceitful usually implies an intent to mislead and commonly suggests a false appearance or double-dealing. // the secret affairs of a deceitful spouse

Q: When would 'dishonest' be a good substitute for 'deceitful'?

In some situations, the words dishonest and deceitful are roughly equivalent. However, dishonest implies a willful perversion of truth in order to deceive, cheat, or defraud. // a swindle usually involves two dishonest people

Q: Where would 'mendacious' be a reasonable alternative to 'deceitful'?

The meanings of mendacious and deceitful largely overlap; however, mendacious may suggest bland or even harmlessly mischievous deceit and when used of people often suggests a habit of telling untruths. // mendacious tales of adventure

Q: When might 'untruthful' be a better fit than 'deceitful'?

While the synonyms untruthful and deceitful are close in meaning, untruthful stresses a discrepancy between what is said and fact or reality. // an untruthful account of their actions

deceitful

adjective

di-ˈsēt-fəl

Definition of deceitful next

as in fraudulent

marked by, based on, or done by the use of dishonest methods to acquire something of value charged the store owner with such deceitful practices as inflating the list prices for items only so he could put them on sale at drastically reduced prices

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in deceptive

tending or having power to deceive the deceitful salesman neglected to mention some important information about the used car

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective deceitful differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of deceitful are dishonest, mendacious, and untruthful. While all these words mean "unworthy of trust or belief," deceitful usually implies an intent to mislead and commonly suggests a false appearance or double-dealing.

the secret affairs of a deceitful spouse

When would dishonest be a good substitute for deceitful?

In some situations, the words dishonest and deceitful are roughly equivalent. However, dishonest implies a willful perversion of truth in order to deceive, cheat, or defraud.

a swindle usually involves two dishonest people

Where would mendacious be a reasonable alternative to deceitful?

The meanings of mendacious and deceitful largely overlap; however, mendacious may suggest bland or even harmlessly mischievous deceit and when used of people often suggests a habit of telling untruths.

mendacious tales of adventure

When might untruthful be a better fit than deceitful?

While the synonyms untruthful and deceitful are close in meaning, untruthful stresses a discrepancy between what is said and fact or reality.

an untruthful account of their actions

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of deceitful As a crucial point of clarification, such deceitful actions are not because AI is sentient. —

Lance Eliot, Forbes, 27 Dec. 2024 Over time, guile took on the connotation of deceitful cunning in English, emerging in Middle English around the 12th century. —

Erik Kain, Forbes, 1 Dec. 2024 Regarding annual plan pricing, NordVPN is facing a $100M class-action lawsuit in the US states of California and North Carolina over allegedly deceitful price increases that trigger once annual and two-year subscriptions renew. —

PCMAG, 2 Nov. 2024 Holeman said Allen showed signs of being deceitful during a 2022 interview, such as looking down and touching his face. —

John Tufts, The Indianapolis Star, 26 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for deceitful

Recent Examples of Synonyms for deceitful

Adjective

According to Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg, at least 200 teachers were falsely certified as part of the conspiracy, via over 400 fraudulent tests, with the scheme dating back to at least May 2020.

— Yaakov Katz, Newsweek, 7 Feb. 2025
Often fraudulent communications claiming to be from the IRS or associated individuals can have typos or other mistakes in them, but with artificial intelligence, these communications are more sophisticated and scams can be harder to spot.

— Cheryl Winokur Munk, CNBC, 7 Feb. 2025