What does dupery mean?
Dupery is a formal noun denoting deception or trickery — the act of deliberately misleading someone, especially for gain or advantage. It derives from the verb 'to dupe', itself rooted in French slang for a gullible person, combined with the suffix '-ry', which forms nouns of practice or condition (as in 'skulduggery' or 'roguery'). Because of this lineage, dupery carries a slightly archaic, literary flavour and implies not just any lie but a sustained, calculated exploitation of another person's trust or naivety. It is most at home in written English — journalism, history, and criticism — where writers describe frauds, hoaxes, and confidence schemes. A typical usage might describe an elaborate forgery as 'an audacious piece of dupery'. While uncommon in everyday speech, it is a precise and evocative alternative to plainer words like 'deceit', and it usefully foregrounds the relationship between the schemer and the person taken in.
nounDeception or trickery; the act or practice of deceiving someone, especially by making them believe something untrue.
- The action or practice of deceiving someone; deception, especially deliberate and exploitative trickery.
"The scheme was pure dupery, designed to swindle elderly investors out of their savings."
"The letter was an elaborate piece of dupery intended to extract bank details from its recipients."
"Historians now view the forged diaries as one of the great literary duperies of the twentieth century."
Rarely used; dupery is usually treated as uncountable. The plural appears mainly in older or literary texts referring to individual instances of deception.
"The memoir catalogues the duperies he endured at the hands of unscrupulous publishers."
'Dupery' comes from a word for a gullible person that may trace back to 'huppe', the hoopoe bird — a creature once proverbial in French for being easy to fool.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of dupery
Dupery was formed in the late 17th century from the verb 'dupe' plus the suffix '-ry'. The verb 'dupe' entered English in the late 17th century from French, where 'dupe' meant a person who is easily deceived; its ultimate origin is uncertain but is often linked to dialectal French 'huppe' (the hoopoe bird), proverbial for stupidity or credulity. Cognates include the related forms 'dupe' and 'dupable'.
Related word forms
How dupery is actually used
Formal and somewhat literary in register; far less common than synonyms like 'deception' or 'trickery'. It often carries a connotation of contempt for both the deceiver's methods and the victim's gullibility. The plural 'duperies' is rare but attested, typically referring to individual instances of deceit.
Easily confused with dupery
A dupe is the person who is deceived, while dupery is the act or practice of deceiving them.