EN

Synonyms for ruse

27 synonyms
6 antonyms
1 meaning

noun

Most common

artifice ploy deception stratagem

All synonyms

Noun

1. Artifice — an action intended to deceive; a trick

artifice, ploy, deception, stratagem, deceit, trick, trickery, fraud, feint, imposture, delusion, blind, maneuver US, manoeuvre UK, skulduggery, skullduggery US, intrigue, misleading, racket, racquet UK, dodge, device, finesse, wile, shift

Other

sleight-of-hand, stalking-horse

Antonyms

truth, honesty, candor

All antonyms of ruse →

Definitions

n. 1
An action intended to deceive; a trick.
Near-synonyms: ploy, stratagem, artifice

Forms

Plural: ruses → artifices, ploys, deceptions, stratagems…

Choose the right word

Ruse or Blind?

A ruse or a blind may be quite innocent and harmless.

J. C. Fernald, English Synonyms and Antonyms (1914)

Example sentences

deception She was aware of his propensity towards deception.
ploy Tom's ploy almost succeeded.
artifice The language of truth must be, with no doubt, simple and without artifice.
stratagem The enemy somehow got word of the stratagem.

Popularity over time

Word	1850 → 2019	Trend
ruse		rising
deception		rising
ploy		rising
artifice		rising
stratagem		steady

Use in printed books, per decade from 1850 to 2019.

By length

4 letters: ploy¹, wile¹
5 letters: shift¹, trick¹, blind¹, fraud¹, dodge¹, feint¹
6 letters: device², racket², deceit²
7 letters: finesse², racquet²
8 letters: maneuver³, delusion³, intrigue², trickery³, artifice³
9 letters: deception³, manoeuvre, stratagem³, imposture
10 letters: misleading³
11 letters: skulduggery⁴
12 letters: skullduggery

The small number after each word is its number of syllables (device² = 2 syllables).

In other languages

Français: ruse
Italiano: trucco
Español: ardid
Deutsch: List
Català: ardit