ISEE/SSAT Vocabulary Builder›Words›S›subterfuge
ISEE/SSAThard
subterfuge
a deceptive scheme used to conceal a true purpose
Synonyms
- deception
- ruse
- trickery
Antonyms
- honesty
- candor
- openness
subterfuge in a sentence
The false emergency was merely a subterfuge to empty the building.
Pretending to be lost was a subterfuge that allowed the spy to study the guards.
Where it comes from
From Late Latin subterfugium, meaning 'evasion.'
Memory hook
SUBTERFUGE sounds like 'secret refuge': it gives the truth a place to hide.
Read it in context
- The Case She Carried Narrative
- The Fault in the Bronze Science
Practice subterfuge in the app