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noun

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smokescreen - A distraction or false front used to mislead or deceive others.

The flashy website and ad campaign turned out to be a smokescreen so people would be distracted from paying attention to the company's declining sales.

noun

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sham - A thing that is not what it is purported to be

To the naked eye, a counterfeit handbag looks like the real thing, instead of a poorly made sham that it really is.

adjective

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fictitious - Imaginary, not real, made up and not true.

All the main characters in Charles Dicken's A Tale of Two Cities are fictitious, but the book gives you a good idea of what really happened.

noun

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villain - A person who is considered wicked, cruel, or criminal; someone blamed for causing a particular problem or harm.

Robin Hood was considered a villain to the people who had money, but he was a hero to the poor.

verb

See noun

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fib - Tell an unimportant lie

Pinocchio's nose would always indicate when he was fibbing.

verb

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obfuscate - To make something less clear and harder to understand, especially if done deliberately.

The criminal's testimony at the trial tried to obfuscate and cover up his connection to the crime.

verb

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downplay - To make something seem less important than it really is.

The government downplayed the water crisis, but when the water levels fell too much, they told people to try to use less water.

noun

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hypocrisy - Behavior that is the opposite of how one actually is, being fake by pretending to be one thing, and acting in the opposite way.

The politician was guilty of hypocrisy because he promised reforms, but his real goal was to enrich himself and his friends.

adjective

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clandestine - Kept secret or done secretively, especially because illicit

CIA agents have to act in a clandestine manner to avoid detection.

verb

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hoodwink - To deceive or trick someone.

The con man surveyed the crowd in order to find someone to hoodwink.

verb

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deceive - To mislead or trick someone, especially for personal gain.

Don’t try to deceive me — I know what really happened.

noun

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rascal - A mischievous or cheeky person, especially a child or man (typically used in an affectionate way)

Dennis the Menace was a famous rascal, using his childlike innocence to distract from his mischief.