deceitful
/dɪˈsiːtfl/ (bre, ipa) · /dɪˈsiːtfl/ (ame, ipa) · /di-ˈsēt-fəl/ (ame, mw)
deceitful — adjective
- deceitfulpositive
- more deceitfulcomparative
- most deceitfulsuperlative
1. willing to lie or hide the truth on purpose in order to fool other people, usual
willing to lie or hide the truth on purpose in order to fool other people, usually so that you can gain something for yourself
Salma called her former business partner a deceitful man who hid losses from investors.
a deceitful [person] — common attributive use with a human noun
The judge ruled that the salesman had been deceitful about the car's true age.
be deceitful about [topic] — pattern for naming what was lied about
It was deceitful of Christopher to pretend he had no money while secretly saving for a bike.
Reporters uncovered deceitful emails in which Haruto promised refunds he never planned to send.
Maeve felt hurt when she learned that her uncle's friendly smile had been completely deceitful.
- dishonest
broader and milder; covers any failure to tell the truth, even small ones
- duplicitous
formal; emphasises saying one thing while believing or doing another
- underhanded
focuses on sneaky methods rather than direct lies
- two-faced
informal; specifically about being friendly in person and hostile behind someone's back
- honest
the everyday opposite
- truthful
focuses on saying only true things
- straightforward
emphasises being open and easy to understand, no hidden agenda
用法筆記
Strongly negative moral judgement; far harsher than 'dishonest'. Used of people, their words (claims, promises, emails), or their actions, never of neutral mistakes.