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Definitions

hoodwinked

[hood-wingkd] / ˈhʊdˌwɪŋkd /
ADJECTIVE
cheated
Synonyms
STRONG
bamboozled beguiled bilked burned conned deceived defrauded duped finessed overcharged swindled tricked victimized
WEAK
ripped off scammed taken in
ADJECTIVE
deceived
Synonyms
STRONG
baited bamboozled betrayed conned culled duped fooled gulled had hoaxed lured played snared taken trapped victimized
Antonyms
WEAK
informed trusted

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.

Let him know that there’s a chance this is a romance scam/honey trap and that even the smartest people get hoodwinked by nefarious characters who take advantage of their loneliness.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 23, 2026

New Yorkers still take pride in not being easily hoodwinked.

From Los Angeles Times • May 29, 2025

I was hoodwinked in a similar way to the British-Ghanaian teenager who recently took his parents to the High Court in London for sending him to school in Ghana.

From BBC • Mar. 15, 2025

Rare is the adult who hasn’t been hoodwinked by somebody somewhere.

From Salon • Jun. 1, 2024

Fosdick considered that his foundation had been hoodwinked into a deal with the devil.

From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik

From Roget's 21st Century Thesaurus, Third Edition Copyright © 2013 by the Philip Lief Group.