deceived

Deceived is the past tense and past participle of the verb deceive. Its basic meaning is to cause someone to believe something that is not true, often through false statements, concealment, or other forms of manipulation. The word can describe the act of misleading or the person who has been misled. As an adjective, it can characterize someone who has been duped or a situation in which trust has been broken.

Etymology traces deceive to Old French deceivre or deceivre, with roots in Latin decipere, meaning to take or catch by trickery. The term entered English in the medieval period and has inherited a range of related forms, such as deception, deceptive, and deception-related phrases.

In law and ethics, deception refers to misleading actions that affect rights, consent, or financial interests. Deceived parties may pursue remedies for fraud or misrepresentation. In everyday use, “deceived” often appears in contexts involving advertising, negotiations, or interpersonal relationships where truthfulness is called into question.

Psychology studies deception from two angles: the act of deceiving others and the experience of being deceived. Research on deception detection shows that people are only moderately skilled at spotting lies, and cues can be unreliable. The concept of self-deception also examines how individuals may persuade themselves of false beliefs to avoid cognitive dissonance.

In culture and literature, themes of deception and being deceived explore trust, betrayal, and moral choice, reflecting how misperception shapes events and character development.

See also: deception, deceiver, deceptive, self-deception, fraud.