deceitful

[dih-seet-fuhl] / dɪˈsit fəl /

ADJECTIVE

dishonest, insincere

Synonyms

STRONGEST

artful deceptive disingenuous duplicitous false fraudulent hypocritical misleading underhanded untrustworthy untruthful

WEAK

astucious astute beguiling clandestine counterfeit crafty cunning deceiving delusive delusory designing double-dealing fallacious feline foxy furtive guileful illusory impostrous indirect insidious knavish lying mendacious rascal roguish shifty slick sly sneaky stealthy subtle treacherous tricky two-faced underhand wily

Antonyms

STRONGEST

actual authentic forthright frank genuine honest ingenuous just naive open real reliable sincere truthful upright valid

WEAK

faithful loyal trustworthy

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

In parliament ahead of the vote, Bolojan defended his push for reforms, slamming the motion as "deceitful, cynical, and contrived."

From Barron's • May 5, 2026

And it’s gone along on the same trajectory with deceitful disclosures.

From Slate • Feb. 4, 2026

He defined the domestic cat, for instance, as “a deceitful animal, and when enraged, extremely spiteful.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 19, 2025

Mr Wrench described the hidden commissions as "deceitful" and said firms should be more up front about the payments.

From BBC • Aug. 5, 2025

“Percy, you can’t barter with Hades. You know that, right? He’s deceitful, heartless, and greedy. I don’t care if his Kindly Ones weren’t as aggressive this time—” “This time?”

From "The Lightning Thief" by Rick Riordan

Vocabulary lists containing deceitful

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