Synonyms & related words for subterfuge

Find synonyms, related words, and the definition of subterfuge — including trickery, chicanery, ruse, deception, deceit, ploy. Dendril is a free visual thesaurus that shows them on an interactive map where stronger matches sit closer to the center — no signup, no ads.

Words related to subterfuge

Explore words related to subterfuge — words associated with it, words that go with it, and its nearest matches in meaning. Related words include underhandedness, dissimulation, trickish, machination, sneakiness, disingenuousness, humbuggery, dissembling. Click any word to make it the center of the map and keep exploring the web of connections.

Synonyms for subterfuge

Common synonyms for subterfuge include trickery, chicanery, ruse, deception, deceit, ploy, stratagem, artifice — words that share a close meaning. Hover or tap any word on the map for its definition and part of speech.

Where does subterfuge come from?

The word subterfuge breaks down into 2 roots of Latin origin: subter-, from Latin subter (“secretly, beneath”); and -fug, from Latin fugio (“flee”). Explore each root to see other English words built from the same source.