subterfuge
noun
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Subterfuge Has Latin Roots
Though subterfuge is a synonym of deception, fraud, double-dealing, and trickery, there's nothing tricky about the word's etymology. We borrowed the word and meaning from Late Latin subterfugium. That word contains the Latin prefix subter-, meaning "secretly," which derives from the adverb subter, meaning "underneath." The -fuge portion comes from the Latin verb fugere, which means "to flee" and which is also the source of words such as fugitive and refuge, among others.
Synonyms
- artifice
- chicane
- chicanery
- gamesmanship
- hanky-panky
- jiggery-pokery
- jugglery
- legerdemain
- skulduggery
- skullduggery
- trickery
- wile
Example Sentences
Paul Wallich, Scientific American, July 2000 Williams has worn a wedding ring for the past decade. Originally it was a fake diamond used as a subterfuge during her days as an activist in Central America … Annie Leibovitz, Vogue, February 1998 The first pool appeared on the scene in 1791, organized to manipulate stock of the U.S. Bank. Members of a pool contributed money, which was handed over to a single operator, who put into effect various strategies and subterfuges. He could depress the price of a stock, buy a lot at the low point, then artificially raise the price, and sell at a profit; or he might sell short, then depress the price and make a profit. Kathleen Odean, High Steppers, Fallen Angels, and Lollipops, 1988 They obtained the documents by subterfuge. propagandists who use a kind of photographic subterfuge, superimposing one image on another to create a false “reality” Robin Givhan, Washington Post, 14 June 2022 Early on, rumors of subterfuge plagued the Turtle Derby. Mike Klingaman, Baltimore Sun, 4 Aug. 2022 In the American Civil War, Southern rebels used all manner of subterfuge to try and break a tight Union naval blockade and threaten Union shipping at sea. Craig Hooper, Forbes, 8 June 2022 In our interview, the Edge and Bono talked about everything the subterfuge of sneaking serious themes into family-friendly animation to where U2’s recording and touring status is at. Chris Willman, Variety, 28 Jan. 2022 But the South Korean official and missile experts said further close analysis of images in North Korean state media of last week's launch gave two potential clues relating to Pyongyang's alleged subterfuge. Brad Lendon And Gawon Bae, CNN, 31 Mar. 2022 The 36-page, six-count criminal complaint, filed in federal court Tuesday, alleges that Branson’s subterfuge began in 2011. Michael Ruiz, Fox News, 9 Mar. 2022 Season 6 begins with the married attorneys partnering for a complex bit of subterfuge. Darren Franich, EW.com, 4 Apr. 2022 But there can also be joy in that survival, as well as a playful sense of subterfuge — a willingness to defy norms and break rules that Haroun pointedly frames not as a wrong but as a moral imperative. Los Angeles Times, 17 Feb. 2022 See More Word History
Late Latin subterfugium, from Latin subterfugere to escape, evade, from subter- secretly (from subter underneath; akin to Latin sub under) + fugere to flee — more at up, fugitive
1573, in the meaning defined at sense 1
subterfuge
noun
Synonyms & Similar Words
- deception
- trickery
- treachery
- deceptiveness
- chicanery
- skulduggery
- gamesmanship
- secrecy
- deceit
- cunning
- skullduggery
- stealth
- artfulness
- jugglery
- cunning
- scheming
- legerdemain
- jiggery-pokery
- artifice
- plotting
- wile
- hanky-panky
- duplicity
- chicane
- underhandedness
- sneakiness
- deceitfulness
- deviousness
- slyness
- shrewdness
- hypocrisy
- dishonesty
- dissimulation
- insincerity
- shiftiness
- guile
- fakery
- slipperiness
- craftiness
- design
- crookedness
- shadiness
- humbuggery
- slickness
- wiliness
- crookery
- caginess
- double-dealing
- imposture
- quackery
- dupery
- cageyness
- oiliness
- sharpness
- dirty pool
- dirty tricks
- foxiness
- guilefulness
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- sincerity
- artlessness
- ingenuousness
- guilelessness
- forthrightness
- directness
- candor
- openness
- candidness
- plainness
- plainspokenness
Synonym Chooser
Some common synonyms of subterfuge are deception, double-dealing, fraud, and trickery. While all these words mean "the acts or practices of one who deliberately deceives," subterfuge suggests the adoption of a stratagem or the telling of a lie in order to escape guilt or to gain an end.
Although the words deception and subterfuge have much in common, deception may or may not imply blameworthiness, since it may suggest cheating or merely tactical resource.
The words double-dealing and subterfuge are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, double-dealing suggests treachery or at least action contrary to a professed attitude.
In some situations, the words fraud and subterfuge are roughly equivalent. However, fraud always implies guilt and often criminality in act or practice.
The words trickery and subterfuge can be used in similar contexts, but trickery implies ingenious acts intended to dupe or cheat.