Deception Vocabulary

noun None

verb To give a false impression of; to misrepresent or disguise

adjective None

adverb None

pronoun None

preposition None

conjunction None

interjection None

article None

• It is difficult to belie the evidence presented in the court.
• I can't belie how fast time flies when we're having fun.
• I can't belie you actually went through with that dare!
• Her smile may belie her true feelings of sadness.

verb to deceive or mislead someone into believing something that is not true

• The con artist tried to delude the elderly couple into giving him their life savings.
• Don't let him delude you into thinking he's innocent.
• She's always trying to delude us into doing her chores for her.
• His grandiose speeches were meant to delude the audience into believing he was a great leader.

adjective not candid or sincere, typically by pretending that one knows less about something than one really does

• His disingenuous behavior during the negotiation process was quite evident to all parties involved.
• I can't stand how disingenuous she acts around certain people.
• Stop being so disingenuous, just be real for once.
• The politician's disingenuous smile didn't fool anyone in the audience.

noun the act of deceiving or concealing one's true feelings or motives

adjective dissimulative (relating to or characterized by dissimulation)

• The politician's dissimulation was evident when he claimed to support the bill, but voted against it.
• She saw through his dissimulation and knew he was lying about his whereabouts.
• His dissimulation was so obvious, it was like he was trying to pull a fast one on us.
• The mask of dissimulation he wore to hide his true feelings eventually cracked, revealing his inner turmoil.

noun a person or thing that is not genuine; a forgery or imitation

adjective not genuine; counterfeit

• The company was accused of producing fake documents to support their claim.
• I can't believe she bought that fake designer bag.
• That guy is so fake, he can't be trusted.
• His smile looked fake, like it was painted on.

noun the act of pretending to possess qualities or abilities that one does not actually have; deception or fraud

• The investigation revealed a sophisticated network of fakery in the art world.
• I can't believe the level of fakery in that online store selling designer goods.
• She's always up to some fakery to get what she wants.
• His smile was a mask of fakery, hiding his true feelings.

noun a display or appearance that is not genuine or true

• The politician's promises turned out to be a false show of commitment to the people.
• Don't be fooled by his false show of sympathy, he doesn't really care.
• Her apology was just a false show, she doesn't mean it at all.
• The elaborate decorations were just a false show to distract from the true issues at hand.

noun a lie or untrue statement

adjective not in accordance with the truth or facts

• The defendant was found guilty of spreading falsehoods about the company's financial status.
• Don't believe everything you hear, there are a lot of falsehoods going around.
• I can't stand people who spread fake news and falsehoods.
• His entire argument was built on a foundation of falsehoods and half-truths.

noun an insincere display of emotion

verb to pretend to be affected by (a feeling, state, or injury)

• She attempted to feign interest in the discussion, but her lack of engagement was evident.
• He tried to feign sickness to get out of going to school, but his mom didn't buy it.
• I could tell she was feigning excitement about the party, she's not really into that scene.
• The actor had to feign happiness on stage, even though he was going through a tough time in his personal life.

noun a small lie or untruth

verb to tell a small lie or untruth

• The doctor suspected that the patient was telling a fib about their symptoms.
• I can tell you're fibbing about your age, you don't look a day over 30!
• Stop fibbing to me, I know you were the one who broke the vase.
• She weaved a web of fibs to cover up her true intentions.

noun the act of deceiving or tricking someone

verb to deceive or trick someone

• She was caught fooling around instead of working on the project.
• Stop fooling around and start focusing on your studies.
• I can't believe he's still fooling with that old car.
• Don't be fooled by his charm, he's always fooling people for his own benefit.

noun the quality of being secretive or sly

• The suspect's furtiveness raised suspicions among the investigators.
• I could sense his furtiveness as he tried to hide something from me.
• Her furtiveness was so obvious, it was like she was up to no good.
• The dark clouds moved across the sky with a sense of furtiveness, hinting at an impending storm.

noun a person or thing that deceives or tricks others in a playful or lighthearted manner

• The accused was labeled a gay deceiver by the prosecution.
• Don't trust him, he's a total gay deceiver.
• That guy is such a gay deceiver, always playing games with people's feelings.
• His charming smile was seen as a mask of a gay deceiver by those who knew his true intentions.

noun a statement that is only partially true; a statement that is intended to deceive or mislead

• It is important to distinguish between a complete truth and a half truth in any legal case.
• Don't believe everything you hear, it could just be a half truth.
• I wouldn't trust him, he's always spinning half truths to get what he wants.
• Her smile was like a half truth, hiding the pain she felt inside.

noun a humorous or malicious deception

verb to deceive someone with a hoax

• The government quickly debunked the hoax that was circulating on social media.
• I can't believe you fell for that silly hoax about aliens landing in the park.
• That whole story is just a big hoax, don't believe a word of it.
• Her smile was like a hoax, hiding the pain she was feeling inside.

verb to deceive or trick someone

adjective deceived or tricked by someone

• The con artist hoodwinked the elderly couple out of their life savings.
• I can't believe he hoodwinked us into buying that old car.
• She thought she could hoodwink her way out of trouble, but she got caught.
• The magician hoodwinked the audience with his sleight of hand tricks.

noun the act of impersonating someone else

• Personation is the act of pretending to be someone else, often for fraudulent purposes.
• I heard that personation is a serious crime that can lead to legal consequences.
• Dude, don't even think about personation, it's not worth getting in trouble for.
• In the world of acting, personation is a skill that requires a deep understanding of the character being portrayed.

noun an attempt to make something that is not the case appear true

• She maintained the pretense of being interested in the conversation, even though she was bored.
• He's just putting on a pretense to seem cool in front of his friends.
• Stop with the pretense, we all know you're not really that tough.
• The smile on her face was just a pretense to hide the pain she was feeling inside.

verb to cover or conceal something with a material or object

adverb used to describe the act of covering or concealing something

• She put a blanket over the sleeping child to keep him warm.
• Can you put a towel over the spilled milk to soak it up?
• I'm going to put a lid over this drama before it escalates.
• The CEO decided to put a positive spin over the recent financial losses.

noun a statement or belief that is not true

adjective describing something that is not true or not in accordance with facts

• The statement made by the witness was proven to be untrue during cross-examination.
• I heard a rumor about you, but I know it's untrue.
• Don't believe everything you hear, most of it is just untrue gossip.
• His facade of confidence was quickly revealed to be untrue when he stumbled over his words.

noun a false statement; a lie

• The spread of untruths can have serious consequences in a professional setting.
• Don't believe everything you hear, there's a lot of untruth going around.
• She's just spouting untruths to make herself look better.
• His words were like a web of untruths, trapping anyone who dared to believe them.

noun a person, place, thing, or idea

verb a word used to describe an action, state, or occurrence

preposition a word governing, and usually preceding, a noun or pronoun and expressing a relation to another word or element in the clause

article a word that is used with a noun to specify grammatical definiteness of the noun

• The salesman tried to lead the customer up the garden path with false promises.
• Don't let him lead you up the garden path with his smooth talk.
• She's just leading you down the garden path, don't believe a word she says.
• The politician led the public down the garden path with his empty promises.

noun a word that refers to a person, place, thing, event, substance, or quality

verb a word used to describe an action, state, or occurrence

adjective a word that describes or modifies a noun or pronoun

• The expert's ace-showing presentation impressed the entire board of directors.
• Did you see her ace-showing skills during the meeting? She nailed it!
• He totally aced it with his ace-showing performance on stage.
• Her ace-showing attitude in the face of adversity is truly inspiring.

noun A person who is pretending to be unintelligent or ignorant.

verb An action word that describes the act of pretending to be unintelligent or ignorant.

adjective Describes the behavior of pretending to be unintelligent or ignorant.

• It is unprofessional to act dumb during a job interview.
• Don't act dumb when your teacher asks you a question in class.
• Stop acting dumb, you know exactly what I'm talking about.
• She likes to act dumb to avoid taking responsibility for her actions.