deceitful

English

Alternative forms

• deceiptful (obsolete)
• deceiptfull (obsolete)
• deceitfull (archaic)

Etymology

deceit +‎ -ful

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /dɪˈsiːtfʊl/, /-fl̩/

• Audio (Southern England)

  (file)

Adjective

deceitful (comparative more deceitful, superlative most deceitful)

1. Deliberately misleading or cheating.
   • c. 1590–1591 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Two Gentlemen of Verona”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act II, scene vii]:

     All theſe are ſeruants to deceitfull men.

   • 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Proverbs 27:6:

     Faithfull are the woundes of a friend : but the kiſſes of an enemy are deceitfull.

   • a. 1826, Thomas Moore, “This World Is All a Fleeting Show”, in The Works of Thomas Moore, stanza 1, page 471, lines 1–5:

     This world is all a fleeting show, / For man’s illusion given ; / The smiles of Joy, the tears of Woe, / Deceitful shine, deceitful flow — / There’s nothing true but Heaven !

2. Deceptive, two-faced.

Synonyms

• See also Thesaurus:deceptive

Translations

deliberately misleading or cheating

• Bulgarian: измамен (bg) (izmamen), неверен (bg) (neveren)
• Finnish: vilpillinen (fi)
• French: trompeur (fr) m, tricheur (fr) m
• German: trügerisch (de)
• Gothic: 𐌻𐌹𐌿𐍄𐍃 (liuts), 𐌷𐌹𐌽𐌳𐌰𐍂𐍅𐌴𐌹𐍃 (hindarweis)
• Greek:

  Ancient: δόλιος (dólios), ἀπατηλός (apatēlós)

• Italian: bugiardo (it) m
• Latin: mendāx (la), pellāx, perfidus
• Maori: titipa
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: villedende, svikefull (no)

• Portuguese: enganador (pt) m, trapaceiro (pt) m
• Russian: лжи́вый (ru) (lžívyj)
• Scottish Gaelic: breugach, meallta, mealltach
• Spanish: falso (es), deshonesto (es)
• Swedish: bedräglig (sv), svekfull (sv), vilseledande (sv)

deceptive — see also deceptive

• Bulgarian: измамнически (bg) (izmamničeski)
• Finnish: petollinen (fi)
• French: trompeur (fr) m
• German: trügerisch (de)
• Italian: bugiardo (it) m
• Latin: fallax
• Old English: ġēaplīċ
• Russian: обма́нчивый (ru) (obmánčivyj)
• Swedish: falsk (sv), vilseledande (sv)
• Ukrainian: обма́нливий (obmánlyvyj)

Further reading

• “deceitful”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.
• deceitful in Britannica Dictionary
• deceitful in WordReference English Collocations