subterfuge

noun

sub·​ter·​fuge ˈsəb-tər-ˌfyüj 

1

: deception by artifice or stratagem in order to conceal, escape, or evade

2

: a deceptive device or stratagem

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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

Choose the Right Synonym for subterfuge

deception, fraud, double-dealing, subterfuge, trickery mean the acts or practices of one who deliberately deceives.

deception may or may not imply blameworthiness, since it may suggest cheating or merely tactical resource.

magicians are masters of deception

fraud always implies guilt and often criminality in act or practice.

indicted for fraud

double-dealing suggests treachery or at least action contrary to a professed attitude.

a go-between suspected of double-dealing

subterfuge suggests the adoption of a stratagem or the telling of a lie in order to escape guilt or to gain an end.

obtained the papers by subterfuge

trickery implies ingenious acts intended to dupe or cheat.

resorted to trickery to gain their ends

Examples of subterfuge in a Sentence

And the same kind of subterfuge that causes employees to open a virus-laden attachment could also lead them to unknowingly install programs that ship all their data to unscrupulous competitors. —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”

Recent Examples on the Web

Chambers narrates his time as an underground Communist activist in the ’30s, a fascinating tale of subterfuge. —Franklin Foer, The Atlantic, 23 Oct. 2024

Public debate about the massacre has long been an irritant for South Korean conservatives, who have at times sought to downplay the government’s role or promoted conspiracy theories that the protests were an act of North Korean subterfuge. —Tribune News Service, The Mercury News, 19 Oct. 2024

The only way to accomplish this will be through bureaucratic subterfuge aimed at catching Xi’s attention by slowing the regime’s administrative machinery and stalling China’s economic engine. —Minxin Pei, Foreign Affairs, 1 Nov. 2017

On TV, as in life, politics is a full-contact sport that requires subterfuge. —Chris Vognar, Los Angeles Times, 6 Aug. 2024

Word History

Etymology

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

First Known Use

1573, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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Kids Definition

subterfuge

noun

sub·​ter·​fuge ˈsəb-tər-ˌfyüj 

1

: the action of deceiving usually by slyness in order to avoid some unpleasant circumstance (as to escape blame)

2

: a plan or trick that employs sly deception