an excessively favorable opinion of one's own ability, importance, wit, etc.
something that is conceived in the mind; a thought; idea: He jotted down the conceits of his idle hours.
imagination; fancy.
a fancy; whim; fanciful notion.
an elaborate, fanciful metaphor, especially of a strained or far-fetched nature.
the use of such metaphors as a literary characteristic, especially in poetry.
a fancy, purely decorative article.
BritishDialect.
favorable opinion; esteem.
personal opinion or estimation.
Obsolete. the faculty of conceiving; apprehension.
verb (used with object)
to flatter (especially oneself).
BritishDialect. to take a fancy to; have a good opinion of.
Obsolete.
to imagine.
to conceive; apprehend.
Idioms for conceit
out of conceit with, displeased or dissatisfied with.
Origin of conceit
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English conceyte, conceipt, derivative of conceive by analogy with deceive, deceit and receive, receipt; compare Anglo-French conceite; see concept
The fund will face pressure as investors will be watching closely to see if its core conceit — targeting diverse Midwest-based founders — will lead to outsize gains.
A Power Couple With a $50M Venture Fund for the Overlooked|Nick Fouriezos|August 14, 2020|Ozy
Wolf concurs that the conceit of the show seems to have everyone but the sex worker in mind.
To Catch a Sex Worker: A&E’s Awful, Exploitative Ambush Show|Samantha Allen|December 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Because that conceit was straight/gay vs straight/straight, I could do a lot of overtly straight humor and it would be acceptable.
Oscars Host Neil Patrick Harris on His Best and Worst Emcee Moments (VIDEO)|Neil Patrick Harris|October 15, 2014|DAILY BEAST
This might seem like a conceit, but the end result is both troubling and overwhelmingly powerful.
What You Missed But Shouldn’t Have In 2013||December 25, 2013|DAILY BEAST
The style is stuffy, the syntax is antique, and the conceit is never really convincing.
Robin Sloan’s Book Bag: Five Science Fiction Books That Matter|Robin Sloan|September 24, 2013|DAILY BEAST
As a means of fixing the fundamental problem of adapting Gatsby, the conceit does a serviceable job of correcting a deficit.
The Great Gatsby: Book Versus Movie|Jon Reiner|May 10, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Oh, but how scant the utterance, and how faint, to my conceit!
Dante: "The Central Man of All the World"|John T. Slattery
Does it suggest a standard to attain to, or does it merely minister to self-love and conceit?
Sir Brook Fossbrooke, Volume I.|Charles James Lever
That was it—the youth of these two had knocked his conceit into a cocked hat.
The Drums Of Jeopardy|Harold MacGrath
Genius did not disdain the entrance, because it was not obstructed by numbers, or galled by conceit.
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, Vol. 66, No 405, July 1849|Various
Johnny was pleased with the conceit, and the little tern were always afterwards known as the prince and princess.
The Island Home|Richard Archer
British Dictionary definitions for conceit
conceit
/ (kənˈsiːt) /
noun
a high, often exaggerated, opinion of oneself or one's accomplishments; vanity
literaryan elaborate image or far-fetched comparison, esp as used by the English Metaphysical poets
archaic
a witty expression
fancy; imagination
an idea
obsoletea small ornament
verb(tr)
Northern Englishdialectto like or be able to bear (something, such as food or drink)