"Hoodwink" vs. "deceive": shades of deception

Reviewed and edited by

Lloyd Cooper 25/12/2024, 02:51

English.me team member

Hoodwink and deceive. What's the difference?

What is similar?

Both "hoodwink" and "deceive" are verbs meaning to mislead or trick someone into believing something that is not true.

What is different?

"Hoodwink" often implies tricking someone through cunning, deception, or false appearances, sometimes involving elaborate schemes, whereas "deceive" is a general term for causing someone to accept as true or valid what is false or invalid.

Which one is more common?

Examples of usage

Hoodwink

The scammer hoodwinked her into investing in a fake company.
They were hoodwinked by the magician's clever illusions.
He tried to hoodwink the committee with forged documents.

Deceive

She deceived her parents about where she was going.
The advertisement was meant to deceive consumers.
He deceived himself into believing he could win without practice.