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
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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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of conceit
Armond White, National Review, 21 May 2025
Technology advances at an exponential rate (Jia’s conceit with the cameras is strengthened by his focus on the couple’s evolving relationships to cell phones and robotics), and the film’s characters age in turn.
—David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 9 May 2025
Far from an abstract or futuristic conceit, predictive policing is a reality.
—Maria Lungu, The Conversation, 6 May 2025
Much of the dialogue has an expository flatness, which only heightens the grim comedy of the whole conceit; Cronenberg’s cool, latex-sheathed touch keeps brushing up against your funny bone.
—Justin Chang, New Yorker, 11 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for conceit
Noun
But that stumble constitutes Hwang’s only confrontation with the hypocrisy that ruins Yellow Face and its inherent PBS conceit.
—Armond White, National Review, 21 May 2025
Technology advances at an exponential rate (Jia’s conceit with the cameras is strengthened by his focus on the couple’s evolving relationships to cell phones and robotics), and the film’s characters age in turn.
—David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 9 May 2025
Far from an abstract or futuristic conceit, predictive policing is a reality.
—Maria Lungu, The Conversation, 6 May 2025
Much of the dialogue has an expository flatness, which only heightens the grim comedy of the whole conceit; Cronenberg’s cool, latex-sheathed touch keeps brushing up against your funny bone.
—Justin Chang, New Yorker, 11 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for conceit
Recent Examples of Synonyms for conceit
Noun
-
In an era of horror mired in pathos and trauma metaphors, there’s a refreshing simplicity to movies that are just about finding new ways to turn people into goop.—
Louis Peitzman,
Vulture,
22 May 2025
-
The prison was both a historical set piece and a metaphor — symbolizing his emotional confinement.—
Victoria Bousis,
Rolling Stone,
22 May 2025
Noun
-
The entire space was stunned by the illusion of water gushing and animals moving toward the audience.—
Raechal Shewfelt,
EW.com,
28 May 2025
-
Donald Trump started selling the illusion of exclusivity half a century ago.—
Ian Crouch,
New Yorker,
27 May 2025
Noun
-
Fueled by new data and shifting cultural values, injectables are being redefined—not as vanity, but as a personalized pathway to confidence, wellness, and long-term care.—
Corein Carter,
Forbes.com,
27 May 2025
-
In a hot pink colorway, the clutch will become your vanity’s newest conversation piece.—
Stacia Datskovska,
Footwear News,
22 May 2025
Verb
-
Finally, imagine tucking your anxiety into a cozy box and carrying it gently in a small bag slung over your shoulder, wrote Beck.—
Ashton Jackson,
CNBC,
30 May 2025
-
Set more than a decade after Jane’s untimely death, this bit of historical fiction follows her beloved older (and only) sister, Cassandra, sensitively portrayed by executive producer Keeley Hawes, and imagines the circumstances that led her to destroy thousands of the author’s personal letters.—
Judy Berman,
Time,
30 May 2025
Noun
-
Don’t worry, in this fantasy relationship Briney’s character Conrad is all yours, no messy love triangle!—
Ana Calderone,
People.com,
25 May 2025
-
The law that fantasy football supposedly broke was the prohibition on gambling on sporting events, a line that was blurred by fantasy leagues’ use of cash entries and prizes.—
David Hill,
Rolling Stone,
24 May 2025
Noun
-
Just observationally, there seemed to be a very high crossover between those of you with the inflated ego to list 16 teams and those of you who thought Dallas was going to lose to Colorado.—
Sean McIndoe,
New York Times,
30 May 2025
-
The result is an entirely incoherent crime thriller that features gangsters prattling on about the self and the ego and the soul and then occasionally wandering into an entirely different scene where other gangsters are prattling on about the same thing.—
Will Leitch,
Vulture,
27 May 2025
Verb
-
But the Panthers are bullish on his abilities and envision him thriving as a favorite target for Young for years to come.—
Joseph Person,
New York Times,
2 June 2025
-
With its rugged exterior and compact footprint, France's Plume envisions its pint-sized Botanical Cabin as a chic lodge on wheels.—
Adam Williams
May 31,
New Atlas,
31 May 2025
Noun
-
In 1963, Johnson moved from Elizabeth, N.J. to bustling 42nd Street to follow her dreams of being a Broadway star and to learn more about New York City’s gay community.—
Tourmaline,
Time,
2 June 2025
-
These kinds of breakthroughs are no longer a distant dream.—
William A. Haseltine,
Forbes.com,
2 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Conceit.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/conceit. Accessed 7 Jun. 2025.
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