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smokescreen - A distraction or false front used to mislead or deceive others.

The flashy website and ad campaign turned out to be a smokescreen so people would be distracted from paying attention to the company's declining sales.

adjective

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indefensible - Unable to be defended, justified, accepted, or excused.

When he said that he robbed the store by mistake, the judge felt that statement was indefensible, and pronounced him guilty.

noun

See verb

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scheme - A large-scale systematic plan or arrangement for attaining some particular object or putting a particular idea into effect, often through deceptive means

It's better to be honest and work hard, and not spend too much time devising or falling for schemes that are tempting shortcuts to making money.

noun

See verb

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bluff - An attempt to deceive someone into believing that one can or will do something

Harry fired so many shots that the criminal thought he ran out of bullets, but he couldn't risk calling Harry's bluff.

noun

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sham - A thing that is not what it is purported to be

To the naked eye, a counterfeit handbag looks like the real thing, instead of a poorly made sham that it really is.

noun

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rogue - Behaving in a way that causes damage.

Martha's friends tried to warn her that under Charlie's charming exterior was a rogue that would eventually hurt her.

noun

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mischief - Behavior that causes minor damage or annoyance, especially by children or animals.

Their son had a sparkle of mischief in his eyes when he ran to hide behind the curtains.

noun

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hypocrisy - Behavior that is the opposite of how one actually is, being fake by pretending to be one thing, and acting in the opposite way.

The politician was guilty of hypocrisy because he promised reforms, but his real goal was to enrich himself and his friends.

noun

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deception - The act of hiding the truth, especially to get an advantage

One of the most dangerous deceptions on the web is where adults chat and pretend to be friends with boys and girls.

noun

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shenanigans - Secret or dishonest activity or maneuvering

Because of Wall Street's shenanigans, the American economy collapsed in 2008.

adjective

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deceitful - Intentionally misleading or dishonest.

She realized too late that his charm was just a deceitful cover.

noun

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quackery - Deceptive or dishonest practices, particularly in fields such as health, medicine, or business, that are designed to exploit others.

The doctor was exposed for his quackery, selling false cures that he claimed could heal any disease.