shortchanged -
To treat someone unfairly, by giving them less than they deserve
Bill felt he had been shortchanged by life, because he was born poor, and was orphaned at the age of 2.
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verb
hoodwink -
Deceive or trick (someone)
The con man surveyed the crowd in order to find someone to hoodwink.
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verb
delude -
To mislead someone into believing something that is not true
The cult's leader deluded his followers into believing he knew the path to Heaven, but it was really the path to Hell.
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noun
Picture
Decoy -
An object made to resemble something else, to lure someone into a trap.
The spies set up a decoy vehicle, that looked the same as their own car, to mislead their pursuers.
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noun
rascal -
A mischievous or cheeky person, especially a child or man (typically used in an affectionate way)
Dennis the Menace was a famous rascal, using his childlike innocence to distract from his mischief.
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nounverb verb
plunder -
Steal goods from (a place or person), typically using force and in a time of war or civil disorder
Seeing his chance, the pirate plundered as many gold coins as he could find on the wrecked ship.
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noun
charade -
An act or event that is clearly false
Bill told Samantha that he wanted to get married, but she suspected that he didn't mean it, and that the dating was just a charade.
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verb
shirk -
Avoid or neglect (a duty or responsibility)
Employees who shirk their duties result in unhappy customers and lower profits.
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verb
foist -
Impose an unwelcome or unnecessary person or thing on
Barry didn't really want Steve to stay over, but Steve claimed he had no other place to stay, so Steve managed to foist himself on Barry because of Barry's natural good nature.
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noun
imposter -
A person who pretends to be someone else in order to deceive others, especially for fraudulent gain
The man on the phone who was asking for money sounded like Emily's friend, but she thought he was probably an imposter.
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adjective
contrived -
Artificial and difficult to believe.
Fred was still considered a prime suspect, because his story about what he did the night of the crime sounded contrived to the detective who interviewed him.
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noun
masquerade -
Behavior that is intended to deceive.
Bill was a total narcissist, and his girlfriends eventually found out that his charm and good humor was just a masquerade, and all he wanted was to take.
