1
as in metaphor
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
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2
as in illusion
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in vanity
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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in to imagine
to form a mental picture of
after a huge meal like that, I cannot conceit eating another thing for the rest of the day
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Examples Sentences
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Recent Examples of conceit
Josh Bell, Vulture, 27 Dec. 2024
Parker Finn is making a name for himself as someone who can craft inventive and viscerally frightening set pieces, elevating these films beyond their (admittedly silly) conceits.
—Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 19 Dec. 2024
The show has one central conceit: In each episode, a cast member is selected by the show’s unseen producers to run the Green Room’s beachside coffee truck — and that cast member picks another participant to work alongside him for the day.
—Patrick Brzeski, The Hollywood Reporter, 15 Dec. 2024
Scott’s perfunctory approach fits screenwriter David Scarpa’s pragmatic conceit to make this son-of-Gladiator at least relevant to the social moment.
—Armond White, National Review, 6 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for conceit 
Noun
Joey King and Jacob Elordi can be sweet together, though, and the main conceit of the high-school-carnival kissing booth, where characters can unwittingly express their secret desires, is a sturdier narrative setup than a lot of Wattpad movies manage.
—Josh Bell, Vulture, 27 Dec. 2024
Parker Finn is making a name for himself as someone who can craft inventive and viscerally frightening set pieces, elevating these films beyond their (admittedly silly) conceits.
—Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 19 Dec. 2024
The show has one central conceit: In each episode, a cast member is selected by the show’s unseen producers to run the Green Room’s beachside coffee truck — and that cast member picks another participant to work alongside him for the day.
—Patrick Brzeski, The Hollywood Reporter, 15 Dec. 2024
Scott’s perfunctory approach fits screenwriter David Scarpa’s pragmatic conceit to make this son-of-Gladiator at least relevant to the social moment.
—Armond White, National Review, 6 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for conceit
Recent Examples of Synonyms for conceit
Noun
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In many ways, the orchestra is the perfect metaphor for the relationship between the individual and society.—
The Learning Network,
New York Times,
10 Jan. 2025
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What Is ‘Vengeance Most Fowl’ About? Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl is a parable for the overreach of technology into our lives, using Wallace’s clunky inventions as a metaphor for smartphones, tablets and generative AI.—
Dani Di Placido,
Forbes,
9 Jan. 2025
Noun
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With an incoming administration likely to stall or roll back green initiatives, now was the time to double down on renewable solutions, not to hedge bets on fossil fuel stopgaps that offer, at best, an illusion of progress.—
Andrew Leahey,
Forbes,
15 Jan. 2025
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Creating the illusion of pulling a gun on officers is a common suicide-by-cop move, Weiss said.—
Angie DiMichele,
Sun Sentinel,
10 Jan. 2025
Noun
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Sound design includes a girl power soundtrack credited to Meltzer and associate director Bailey Hacker, set design by Michael McKeever puts the focal point on large portraits of past presidents and a change of set a couple of times moves the action to a vanity in the office’s ladies’ bathroom.—
Michelle F. Solomon,
Miami Herald,
15 Jan. 2025
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Naturally, the principal bedroom has massive side-by-side closets and its own ensuite bath, complete with marble flooring, green ceramic tile walls, double vanities, and a glass shower.—
Abby Montanez,
Robb Report,
14 Jan. 2025
Verb
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When Mikala Beaver’s now husband, who is transgender, first proposed last year, the couple imagined a huge wedding with family, friends and all the bells and whistles.—
Leah Asmelash,
CNN,
18 Jan. 2025
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The spectacle here is one based on literalism: nothing need be imagined ever again.—
Naomi Fry,
The New Yorker,
18 Jan. 2025
Noun
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Backlist sales soared, especially with romance and fantasy authors like Colleen Hoover and Sarah J. Maas.—
Clare Mulroy,
USA TODAY,
11 Jan. 2025
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Opening outside of the top 10 at the domestic weekend box office is the Robbie Williams fantasy music biopic Different Man, which opened in 1,291 theaters nationwide.—
Tim Lammers,
Forbes,
11 Jan. 2025
Noun
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Over the past fifty years, the job of Lorne Michaels, the show’s creator, has been to make the stars look good, and to corral the egos and talents on his staff in order to get the program on the air, live.—
Susan Morrison,
The New Yorker,
13 Jan. 2025
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Meghan McCain slams Meghan Markle's new 'out of touch' TV show: 'Do something to help people instead of your ego' Production delays in an industry still recovering from the 2023 SAG-WGA strikes are only the tip of the iceberg.—
Ryan Coleman,
EW.com,
13 Jan. 2025
Verb
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Connor Brown — 82 This is the player Ken Holland envisioned when signing Brown to that big, bonus-laden deal in 2023.—
Allan Mitchell,
The Athletic,
10 Jan. 2025
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The latest blueprint for the project, presented to zoning commissioners Jan. 8, envisions 62.4 acres of half-acre lots on the eastern portion of the property and 24 acres of apartments to the west, bridged by a 41-acre plot of mixed-use development in between.—
Jaime Moore-Carrillo,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
9 Jan. 2025
Noun
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Mercurial, vengeful and fixated on forming a safe space for Mormons, Brigham Young stops at nothing to see his dream realized.—
Aramide Tinubu,
Variety,
9 Jan. 2025
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Fall asleep and dream about being slowly forced, as if by some mechanized peristalsis, through the digestive tract of a huge synthetic worm that then deposits me into a lightless industrial kitchen.—
Jay Katsir,
The New Yorker,
9 Jan. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near conceit
Cite this Entry
“Conceit.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/conceit. Accessed 22 Jan. 2025.
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