Subterfuge
noun ·Common ·High school level
Definitions
- 1 An indirect or deceptive device or stratagem; a blind. Refers especially to war and diplomatics. countable
"Overt subterfuge in a region nearly caused a minor accident."
- 2 something intended to misrepresent the true nature of an activity wordnet
- 3 Deception; misrepresentation of the true nature of an activity. uncountable
"But in the mean time […] it looks all ſo like ſubterfuge and inveagling; it is ſo nauſeating and teadious a task, that no man thinks he ovvs the Author ſo much ſervice as to find out the reaſon of his ovvn Categoricalneſs for him."
Example
More examples"The subtlety of this modern empire building puts the Roman centurions, the Spanish conquistadors, and the (...) European colonial powers to shame. Today we do not carry swords. We do not wear armor or clothes that set us apart. (...) It is how the system works. We seldom resort to anything illegal because the system itself is built on subterfuge, and the system is by definition legitimate."
Etymology
Borrowed from Middle French subterfuge m, from Medieval Latin subterfugium n, from Latin subterfugiō (“I flee secretly”), from subter (“under”) and fugiō (“I flee”).
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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.