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conceit
[ kuhn-seet ]
noun
- an excessively favorable opinion of one's own ability, importance, wit, etc.
Synonyms: , , ,
Antonyms:
- something that is conceived in the mind; a thought; idea:
He jotted down the conceits of his idle hours.
- imagination; fancy.
- a fancy; whim; fanciful notion.
- an elaborate, fanciful metaphor, especially of a strained or far-fetched nature.
- the use of such metaphors as a literary characteristic, especially in poetry.
- a fancy, purely decorative article.
- British Dialect.
- favorable opinion; esteem.
- personal opinion or estimation.
- Obsolete. the faculty of conceiving; apprehension.
verb (used with object)
- to flatter (especially oneself ).
- British Dialect. to take a fancy to; have a good opinion of.
- Obsolete.
- to imagine.
- to conceive; apprehend.
conceit
/ əˈː /
noun
- a high, often exaggerated, opinion of oneself or one's accomplishments; vanity
- literary.an elaborate image or far-fetched comparison, esp as used by the English Metaphysical poets
- archaic.
- a witty expression
- fancy; imagination
- an idea
- obsolete.a small ornament
verb
- dialect.to like or be able to bear (something, such as food or drink)
- obsolete.to think or imagine
Word History and Origins
Word History and Origins
Origin of conceit1
Idioms and Phrases
- out of conceit with, displeased or dissatisfied with.
Synonym Study
Example Sentences
The conceit of the short story allows Millet to show how personalities assert themselves and simultaneously explore our interconnectedness as a species.
To Lynne Thompson, a former poet laureate of Los Angeles and the current board president of Cave Canem, therein lies the key conceit of the program.
The construction-worker conceit is dropped faster than a stack of bricks.
Though the risks in “Black Bag” aren’t quite as conspicuous as the camera-as-a-ghost conceit of “Presence,” they pay off in equally breathtaking dividends.
The amnesia conceit allows the film to highlight its artificiality: painted backdrops, stages that recede into blackness, supporting players recast in multiple roles.
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Related Words
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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