trompeuses

Trompeuses is the feminine plural form of the French adjective trompeuse, or of the noun trompeuse meaning a deceiver. In French, trompeur (masculine) and trompeuse (feminine) derive from the verb tromper, meaning to deceive or mislead. As a noun, une trompeuse can refer to a person who deceives, typically a woman, while as an adjective it describes something that is deceptive or misleading. The term can also be used more broadly to denote deceptive appearances or tactics.

In usage, trompeuses often appears in literary, journalistic, and cultural contexts to describe female characters who manipulate others or present misleading appearances. The expression may carry pejorative or critical nuances and is commonly employed in discussions of romance, social manipulation, or political rhetoric. When used in plural form, des trompeuses can indicate a group of deceivers or a category of deceptive behavior.

Related forms and concepts include trompeur (masculine noun for a deceiver), trompeuse as a standalone feminine noun or adjective, and tromperie (deception). The idiom trompe-l’œil, meaning an optical illusion, shares the same root and highlights the broader theme of appearance versus reality. The term intersects with topics in gendered language, rhetoric, and cultural studies, where it is analyzed in relation to stereotypes, manipulation, and storytelling.