deceit vs deception?

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needer

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What is the difference between deceit and deception?
He was accused of lies and deceit.
He was found guilty of obtaining money by deception.

 

bhaisahab

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What is the difference between deceit and deception?
He was accused of lies and deceit.
He was found guilty of obtaining money by deception.

Please give correct information in your profile.
 

bhaisahab

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Well, that explanation was helpful but not clear enough for me.
Are they interchangeable?

"obtaining money by deception" is a standard phrase, you can't substitute "deceit" for "deception".
 

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"obtaining money by deception" is a standard phrase, you can't substitute "deceit" for "deception".
Yes, and you certainly can't substitute their adjectives - 'deceitful' for 'deceptive'. It might be easier to approach the difference via these.
 

needer

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Yes, and you certainly can't substitute their adjectives - 'deceitful' for 'deceptive'. It might be easier to approach the difference via these.

Their adjectives are more distinguishable. but the two nouns still a bit difficult to tell.
 
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Raymott

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THeir adjectives are more distinguishables. but the two nouns are still a bit difficult to tell.
I know; that will always be the case with English having so many near-synonyms. And it will always be a bit difficult to explain how some words are used differently. Obviously, to us natives, the difference has come through experience and, more often than not, never really thought about.
 

needer

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I know; that will always be the case with English having so many near-synonyms. And it will always be a bit difficult to explain how some words are used differently. Obviously, to us natives, the difference has come through experience and, more often than not, never really thought about.

So by which, you mean I shouldn't be more fussy about these two. I just wanted to know if there is an academic explanation for their difference or I must gain it by the matter of collocation.
Thank you anyway!
 

Raymott

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So by which, you mean I shouldn't be more fussy about these two. I just wanted to know if there is an academic explanation for their difference or I must gain it by the matter of collocation.
Thank you anyway!
No, by which I mean that someone (say, an academic) can always make up an academic explanation from their experience and some thought, but whether that explanation actually represents the real reason that others consider two words to be different also needs to be considered. The reason I originally directed you to a discussion that had already been held is that I didn't have an obvious answer, and that this discussion would illustrate that there is no obvious answer. But that by coming back with "that explanation was helpful but not clear enough for me", you might tempt an academic to try to provide a better explanation.
 

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So by which, you mean I shouldn't be more fussy about these two. I just wanted to know if there is an academic explanation for their difference or I must gain it by the matter of collocation.

I don't know if this helps, but the term for the crime is obtaining by deception. In the first, the accusation is moral not legal-lying and deceit are not necessarily criminal.
 

needer

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I don't know if this helps, but the term for the crime is obtaining by deception. In the first, the accusation is moral not legal-lying and deceit are not necessarily criminal.

Comparing your interpretation with their adjectives.
Deceptive== misleading
Deceitful== intentionally deceiving
Imply exactly the opposite of what you mentioned!
 

Raymott

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Comparing your interpretation with their adjectives.
Deceptive== misleading
Deceitful== intentionally deceiving
Imply exactly the opposite of what you mentioned!
And that's exactly why it's not always wise for an academic to respond to the temptation I mentioned. There is no perfect explanation readily available. Language doesn't work that way.
 

needer

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And that's exactly why it's not always wise for an academic to respond to the temptation I mentioned. There is no perfect explanation readily available. Language doesn't work that way.

Fair enough, Thank you.:cool:
 
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