Conceit — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

noun verb /kən-ˈsēt/ con·ceit

Meaning & Definition of Conceit

Conceit (noun)

  1. favorable opinion; especially, excessive appreciation of one's own worth or virtue
  2. a result of mental activity, thought
  3. individual opinion

Conceit (verb)

  1. imagine
  2. to take a fancy to
  3. conceive, understand

Conceit (noun) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. an elaborate or fanciful way of expressing something

    "the conceit that the crowd at the outdoor rock concert was a vast sea of people waving to the beat of the music"

    similar: metaphor, figure of speech
    related: device, analogy, circumlocution, code word, crank, dead metaphor, euphemism, simile, catachresis, mixed metaphor

  2. a conception or image created by the imagination and having no objective reality

    "his dream of swimming in the Olympics is nothing more than a conceit"

    similar: chimera, daydream, delusion, dream, fancy, fantasy, figment, hallucination, illusion, nonentity, phantasm, pipe dream, unreality, vision, castle in Spain, castle in the air
    related: ignis fatuus, mirage, will-o'-the-wisp, brainchild, idea, concoction, fable, fabrication, fiction, invention, envisaging, imaging, visualization, cloud-cuckoo-land, cloudland, Shangri-la, utopia, daymare, nightmare
    near: actuality, fact, reality

  3. an often unjustified feeling of being pleased with oneself or with one's situation or achievements

    "even though her novels are enormously popular, the writer is more prone to humility than to conceit"

    similar: amour propre, bighead, complacence, complacency, conceitedness, ego, egotism, pomposity, pompousness, pride, pridefulness, self-admiration, self-assumption, self-conceit, self-congratulation, self-esteem, self-glory, self-importance, self-love, self-opinion, self-satisfaction, smugness, swelled head, swellheadedness, vaingloriousness, vainglory, vainness, vanity
    related: assurance, confidence, self-assurance, self-confidence, self-righteousness, arrogance, disdainfulness, haughtiness, imperiousness, lordliness, self-assertion, snobbishness, superciliousness, superiority, hubris, overconfidence, presumption, pretense, pretension, pretentiousness, egoism, self-centeredness, selfishness, self-pride, self-respect
    opposite: humbleness, humility, modesty
    near: diffidence, self-doubt, self-disgust, self-hate, self-loathing, altruism, unselfishness, bashfulness, demureness, shyness, timidity, timidness, passiveness, passivity

Conceit (verb) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. to form a mental picture of

    "after a huge meal like that, I cannot conceit eating another thing for the rest of the day"

    similar: conceive, conjure (up), dream, envisage, envision, fancy, fantasize, fantasy, feature, ideate, image, imagine, picture, see, vision, visualize
    related: daydream, stargaze, hallucinate, re-create, reflect, relive, reminisce, contemplate, meditate, muse, ponder, ruminate, concoct, fabricate, invent, make up, manufacture, plan, project, foresee, prefigure

Related Entry: Self-conceit (noun)

Self-conceit is a different word from Conceit. The synonyms below are for self-conceit, not for conceit.

  1. an often unjustified feeling of being pleased with oneself or with one's situation or achievements

    "the movie star became a victim of her own self-conceit, having deluded herself into believing that she was as great as her press agent said she was"

    similar: amour propre, bighead, complacence, complacency, conceit, conceitedness, ego, egotism, pomposity, pompousness, pride, pridefulness, self-admiration, self-assumption, self-congratulation, self-esteem, self-glory, self-importance, self-love, self-opinion, self-satisfaction, smugness, swelled head, swellheadedness, vaingloriousness, vainglory, vainness, vanity
    related: assurance, confidence, self-assurance, self-confidence, self-righteousness, arrogance, disdainfulness, haughtiness, imperiousness, lordliness, self-assertion, snobbishness, superciliousness, superiority, hubris, overconfidence, presumption, pretense, pretension, pretentiousness, egoism, self-centeredness, selfishness, self-pride, self-respect
    opposite: humbleness, humility, modesty
    near: diffidence, self-doubt, self-disgust, self-hate, self-loathing, altruism, unselfishness, bashfulness, demureness, shyness, timidity, timidness, passiveness, passivity

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Conceit

The most common words with a similar meaning to Conceit:

metaphor, chimera, daydream, delusion, dream, fancy, fantasy, figment, hallucination, illusion, nonentity, phantasm, pipe dream, unreality, vision, amour propre, bighead, complacence, complacency, conceitedness, ego, egotism, pomposity, pompousness, pride, pridefulness, self-admiration, self-assumption, self-conceit, self-congratulation, self-esteem, self-glory, self-importance, self-love, self-opinion, self-satisfaction, smugness, swelled head, swellheadedness, vaingloriousness

Antonyms & Opposite Words for Conceit

Words with the opposite meaning of Conceit:

humbleness, humility, modesty

Related Words for Conceit

device, analogy, circumlocution, code word, crank, dead metaphor, euphemism, simile, catachresis, mixed metaphor, ignis fatuus, mirage, will-o'-the-wisp, brainchild, idea, concoction, fable, fabrication, fiction, invention, envisaging, imaging, visualization, cloud-cuckoo-land, cloudland, Shangri-la, utopia, daymare, nightmare, assurance

Near Antonyms of Conceit

actuality, fact, reality, diffidence, self-doubt, self-disgust, self-hate, self-loathing, altruism, unselfishness, bashfulness, demureness, shyness, timidity, timidness, passiveness, passivity

Word Forms of Conceit

Inflections: conceited, conceiting, conceits

Origin & Etymology of Conceit

Middle English, from Anglo-French, from conceivre see conceive

First known use: 14th century

Vocabulary Lists & Topics for Conceit

Words & Phrases Containing Conceit

self-conceit

Frequently Asked Questions about Conceit

What does "Conceit" mean?

"Conceit" means favorable opinion; especially, excessive appreciation of one's own worth or virtue. As an a noun and a verb, it is defined as: favorable opinion; especially, excessive appreciation of one's own worth or virtue. It has 4 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Conceit"?

Other words for "Conceit" include metaphor, chimera, daydream, delusion, dream, fancy, fantasy and figment. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Conceit" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Conceit"?

There are 132 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Conceit". Common alternatives include metaphor, chimera, daydream, delusion, dream, fancy, fantasy, figment, hallucination and illusion.

What is the opposite of "Conceit"?

Antonyms of "Conceit" include humbleness, humility and modesty. Near antonyms include actuality, fact, reality and diffidence.

How do you use "Conceit" in a sentence?

Examples of "Conceit" in a sentence: "the conceit that the crowd at the outdoor rock concert was a vast sea of people waving to the beat of the music"; "his dream of swimming in the Olympics is nothing more than a conceit"; "even though her novels are enormously popular, the writer is more prone to humility than to conceit".

Is "Conceit" a noun, verb, or adjective?

"Conceit" can be used as a noun and a verb, depending on the context.

Is "Conceit" useful for IELTS, TOEFL, and other English exams?

As a C2-level word, "Conceit" is typical of Cambridge C2 Proficiency (CPE), IELTS band 8.5–9.0, TOEFL iBT 114–120, PTE Academic 85–90. Advanced words like this are also useful for the GRE, SAT, GMAT, and LSAT.

How do you pronounce "Conceit"?

"Conceit" is pronounced /kən-ˈsēt/ and divided into syllables as con·ceit.