conceit

• POS: Noun, Verb (transitive)
• HYPHEN: con=ceit

CIDE DICTIONARY

conceit, n. [Through French, fr. L. conceptus a conceiving, conception, fr. concipere to conceive: cf. OF. p. p. nom. conciez conceived. See Conceive, and cf. Concept, Deceit.].

•  That which is conceived, imagined, or formed in the mind; idea; thought; image; conception.  [1913 Webster]

  "In laughing, there ever procedeth a conceit of somewhat ridiculous."  [1913 Webster]

  "A man wise in his own conceit."  [1913 Webster]
•  Faculty of conceiving ideas; mental faculty; apprehension; as, a man of quick conceit.  [1913 Webster]

  "How often, alas! did her eyes say unto me that they loved! and yet I, not looking for such a matter, had not my conceit open to understand them."  [1913 Webster]
•  Quickness of apprehension; active imagination; lively fancy.  [1913 Webster]

  "His wit's as thick as Tewksbury mustard; there's more conceit in him than is in a mallet."  [1913 Webster]
•  A fanciful, odd, or extravagant notion; a quant fancy; an unnatural or affected conception; a witty thought or turn of expression; a fanciful device; a whim; a quip.  [1913 Webster]

  "On his way to the gibbet, a freak took him in the head to go off with a conceit."  [1913 Webster]

  "Some to conceit alone their works confine,
  And glittering thoughts struck out at every line."  [1913 Webster]

  "Tasso is full of conceits . . . which are not only below the dignity of heroic verse but contrary to its nature."  [1913 Webster]
•  An overweening idea of one's self; vanity.  [1913 Webster]

  "Plumed with conceit he calls aloud."  [1913 Webster]
•  Design; pattern.  Shak.  [1913 Webster]

In conceit with, in accord with; agreeing or conforming. -- Out of conceit with, not having a favorable opinion of; not pleased with; as, a man is out of conceit with his dress. -- To put [one] out of conceit with, to make one indifferent to a thing, or in a degree displeased with it.

conceit, v. t. 

 To conceive; to imagine.  [1913 Webster]
"The strong, by conceiting themselves weak, are therebly rendered as inactive . . . as if they really were so."  [1913 Webster]
"One of two bad ways you must conceit me,
Either a coward or a flatterer."  [1913 Webster]

conceit, v. i. 

 To form an idea; to think.  [1913 Webster]
"Those whose . . . vulgar apprehensions conceit but low of matrimonial purposes."  [1913 Webster]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

conceit, n.
1 personal vanity; pride.
2 literary a a far-fetched comparison, esp. as a stylistic affectation; a convoluted or unlikely metaphor. b a fanciful notion.

Etymology

ME f. conceive after deceit, deceive, etc.

THESAURUS

conceit

abstract thought, act of thought, affectation, aggressive self-confidence, amour propre, aphorism, apothegm, apprehension, arrogance, assume, assumption, assurance, attitude, bee, believe, bluster, boast, boastfulness, boasting, bombast, bon mot, boutade, brag, braggadocio, braggartism, bragging, brainstorm, brainwork, bravado, bright idea, bright thought, brilliant idea, bumptiousness, capriccio, caprice, cerebration, chestiness, climate of opinion, cockiness, cogitation, common belief, community sentiment, complacence, complacency, conceitedness, conceive, concept, conception, conceptualization, conclusion, consensus gentium, consequence, consideration, coxcombry, crack, crank, craze, crazy idea, creative thought, crotchet, dandyism, egoism, egotism, epigram, estimate, estimation, ethos, excogitation, expect, eye, face, facetiae, fad, fancy, fanfaronade, fantastic notion, fantasticism, fantasy, feeling, flash of wit, flight of fancy, flight of wit, flimflam, fool notion, foppery, foppishness, freak, freakish inspiration, fumes of fancy, gasconade, gasconism, gather, general belief, gibe, happy thought, harebrained idea, haughtiness, headwork, heavy thinking, heroics, humor, idea, ideation, image, imageless thought, imagination, imaginativeness, imagine, imagining, imago, immodesty, impression, independence, intellection, intellectual exercise, intellectual object, intellectualization, jactation, jactitation, judgment, kink, lights, maggot, megrim, memory-trace, mental act, mental image, mental impression, mental labor, mental process, mentation, mind, mot, mystique, narcissism, nasty crack, noesis, notion, observation, obtrusiveness, opinion, pardonable pride, passing fancy, perception, perkiness, persiflage, personal judgment, pertness, play of wit, pleasantry, point of view, pomposity, popular belief, position, posture, presumption, prevailing belief, pride, pridefulness, proudness, public belief, public opinion, puppyism, purse-pride, quip, quips and cranks, quirk, ratiocination, reaction, reasoning, recept, reckon, reflection, repartee, representation, retort, riposte, rodomontade, sally, scintillation, self-admiration, self-assertiveness, self-complacency, self-conceit, self-confidence, self-consequence, self-esteem, self-importance, self-love, self-reliance, self-respect, self-sufficiency, sentiment, side, sight, smart crack, smart saying, smugness, snappy comeback, stance, stiff-necked pride, stiff-neckedness, straight thinking, stroke of wit, stuffiness, suppose, supposition, swagger, swelled head, swelled-headedness, theory, think, thinking, thinking aloud, thinking out, thought, toy, turn of thought, vagary, vainglory, vainness, vanity, vaunt, vauntery, vaunting, view, way of thinking, whim, whim-wham, whimsy, wisecrack, witticism

ROGET THESAURUS

conceit

Wit

N wit, humor, wittiness, sense of humor, attic wit, attic salt, atticism, salt, esprit, point, fancy, whim, drollery, pleasantry, farce, buffoonery, fooling, tomfoolery, shenanigan, harlequinade, broad farce, broad humor, fun, espieglerie, vis comica, jocularity, jocosity, jocoseness, facetiousness, waggery, waggishness, whimsicality, comicality, banter, badinage, retort, repartee, smartness, ready wit, quid- pro-quo, ridicule, jest, joke, jape, jibe, facetiae, levity, quips and cranks, capital joke, canorae nugae, standing jest, standing joke, private joke, conceit, quip, quirk, crank, quiddity, concetto, plaisanterie, brilliant idea, merry thought, bright thought, happy thought, sally, flash of wit, flash of merriment, scintillation, mot, mot pour rire, witticism, smart saying, bon-mot, jeu d'esprit, epigram, jest book, dry joke, quodlibet, cream of the jest, word-play, jeu de mots, play of words, play upon words, pun, punning, double entente, double entendre, quibble, verbal quibble, conundrum, anagram, acrostic, double acrostic, trifling, idle conceit, turlupinade, old joke, tired joke, flat joke, Joe Miller, witty, attic, quick-witted, nimble-witted, smart, jocular, jocose, humorous, facetious, waggish, whimsical, kidding, joking, puckish, playful, merry and wise, pleasant, sprightly, light, spirituel, sparkling, epigrammatic, full of point, ben trovato, comic, zany, madcap, funny, amusing, jokingly, in joke, in jest, in sport, in play, adhibenda est in jocando moderatio, gentle dullness ever loves a joke, leave this keen encounter of our wits, just joking, just kidding, surely you jest!.

Affectation

N affectation, affectedness, acting a part, pretense boasting, charlatanism, quackery, shallow profundity, pretension, airs, pedantry, purism, precisianism, euphuism, teratology, mannerism, simagree, grimace, conceit, foppery, dandyism, man millinery, coxcombry, puppyism, stiffness, formality, buckram, prudery, demureness, coquetry, mock modesty, minauderie, sentimentalism, mauvais honte, false shame, affector, performer, actor, pedant, pedagogue, doctrinaire, purist, euphuist, mannerist, grimacier, lump of affectation, precieuse ridicule, bas bleu, blue stocking, poetaster, prig, charlatan, petit maitre, flatterer, coquette, prude, puritan, affected, full of affectation, pretentious, pedantic, stilted, stagy, theatrical, big-sounding, ad captandum, canting, insincere, not natural, unnatural, self-conscious, maniere, artificial, overwrought, overdone, overacted, euphuist, stiff, starch, formal, prim, smug, demure, tire a quatre epingles, quakerish, puritanical, prudish, pragmatical, priggish, conceited, coxcomical, foppish, dandified, finical, finikin, mincing, simpering, namby-pamby, sentimental, conceit in weakest bodies strongest works.

Vanity

N vanity, conceit, conceitedness, self-conceit, self- complacency, self-confidence, self-sufficiency, self-esteem, self-love, self-approbation, self-praise, self-glorification, self-laudation, self-gratulation, self-applause, self-admiration, amour propre, selfishness, airs, affected manner, pretensions, mannerism, egotism, priggism, priggishness, coxcombry, gaudery, vainglory, elation, pride, ostentation, assurance, vox et praeterea nihil, cheval de bataille, coxcomb, Sir Oracle, vain, vain as a peacock, proud as a peacock, conceited, overweening, pert, forward, vainglorious, high-flown, ostentatious, puffed up, inflated, flushed, self-satisfied, self-confident, self-sufficient, self-flattering, self-admiring, self-applauding, self-glorious, self-opinionated, entente, wise in one's own conceit, pragmatical, overwise, pretentious, priggish, egotistic, egotistical, soi-disant, arrogant, unabashed, unblushing, unconstrained, unceremonious, free and easy, vainly, how we apples swim!, prouder than rustling in unpaid-for silk.

Idea

N idea, notion, conception, thought, apprehension, impression, perception, image, eidolon, sentiment, reflection, observation, consideration, abstract idea, archetype, formative notion, guiding conception, organizing conception, image in the mind, regulative principle, view, theory, conceit, fancy, phantasy, point of view, field of view.

Folly

N imbecility folly, want of intelligence &c, want of intellect, shadowness, silliness, foolishness, imbecility, incapacity, vacancy of mind, poverty of intellect, weakness of intellect, clouded perception, poor head, apartments to let, stupidity, stolidity, hebetude, dull understanding, meanest capacity, shortsightedness, incompetence, one's weak side, not one's strong point, bias, infatuation, simplicity, puerility, babyhood, dotage, anility, second childishness, fatuity, idiocy, idiotism, driveling, folly, frivolity, irrationality, trifling, ineptitude, nugacity, inconsistency, lip wisdom, conceit, sophistry, giddiness, eccentricity, extravagance, rashness, act of folly, unintelligent, unintellectual, unreasoning, mindless, witless, reasoningless, brainless, halfbaked, having no head, not bright, inapprehensible, weak headed, addle headed, puzzle headed, blunder headed, muddle headed, muddy headed, pig headed, beetle headed, buffle headed, chuckle headed, mutton headed, maggoty headed, grossheaded, beef headed, fat witted, fat-headed, weak-minded, feeble-minded, dull minded, shallow minded, lack- brained, rattle-brained, rattle headed, half witted, lean witted, short witted, dull witted, blunt-witted, shallow-pated, clod-pated, addle- pated, addle-brained, dim-sighted, short-sighted, thick-skulled, weak in the upper story, shallow, borne, weak, wanting, soft, sappy, spoony, dull, dull as a beetle, stupid, heavy, insulse, obtuse, blunt, stolid, doltish, asinine, inapt, prosaic, hebetudinous, childish, child-like, infantine, infantile, babyish, babish, puerile, anile, simple, old-womanish, fatuous, idiotic, imbecile, driveling, blatant, babbling, vacant, sottish, bewildered, blockish, unteachable Boeotian, Boeotic, bovine, ungifted, undiscerning, unenlightened, unwise, unphilosophical, apish, simious, foolish, silly, senseless, irrational, insensate, nonsensical, inept, maudlin, narrow-minded, bigoted, giddy, rash, eccentric, foolish, unwise, injudicious, improper, unreasonable, without reason, ridiculous, absurd, idiotic, silly, stupid, asinine, ill-imagined, ill-advised, ill-judged, ill-devised, mal entendu, inconsistent, irrational, unphilosophical, extravagant, sleeveless, idle, pointless, useless, inexpedient, frivolous, Davus sum non, a fool's bolt is soon shot clitellae bovi sunt im, fools rush in where angels fear to tread, il n' a ni bouche ni eperon, the bookful blockhead, ignorantly read, to varnish nonsense with the charms of sound.

Supposition

N supposition, assumption, assumed position, postulation, condition, presupposition, hypothesis, blue sky hypothesis, postulate, postulatum, theory, thesis, theorem, data, proposition, position, proposal, presumption, divination, conjecture, guess, guesswork, speculation, rough guess, shot, shot in the dark, conjecturality, surmise, suspicion, sneaking suspicion, estimate, approximation (nearness), inkling, suggestion, hint, intimation, notion, impression, bare supposition, vague supposition, loose supposition, loose suggestion, association of ideas, (analogy), metonym, metonymy, simile (metaphor), conceit, idea, thought, original idea, invention (imagination), supposing, given, mooted, postulatory, assumed, supposititious, suppositive, suppositious, gratuitous, speculative, conjectural, hypothetical, theoretical, academic, supposable, presumptive, putative, suppositional, suggestive, allusive, if, if so be, an, on the supposition, ex hypothesi, in the case, in the event of, quasi, as if, provided, perhaps, for aught one knows.

Imagination

N imagination, originality, invention, fancy, inspiration, verve, warm imagination, heated imagination, excited imagination, sanguine imagination, ardent imagination, fiery imagination, boiling imagination, wild imagination, bold imagination, daring imagination, playful imagination, lively imagination, fertile imagination, fancy, mind's eye, such stuff as dreams are made of, ideality, idealism, romanticism, utopianism, castle-building, dreaming, phrensy, frenzy, ecstasy, extasy, calenture, reverie, trance, day dream, golden dream, somnambulism, conception, Vorstellung, excogitation, a fine frenzy, cloudland, dreamland, flight of fancy, fumes of fancy, thick coming fancies, creation of the brain, coinage of the brain, imagery, conceit, maggot, figment, myth, dream, vision, shadow, chimera, phantasm, phantasy, fantasy, fancy, whim, whimsey, whimsy, vagary, rhapsody, romance, gest, geste, extravaganza, air drawn dagger, bugbear, nightmare, flying Dutchman, great sea serpent, man in the moon, castle in the air, pipe dream, pie-in-the-sky, chateau en Espagne, Utopia, Atlantis, happy valley, millennium, fairyland, land of Prester John, kindgom of Micomicon, work of fiction, Arabian nights, le pot au lait, dream of Alnashar, illusion, phantom, Fata Morgana, vapor, stretch of the imagination, mythogenesis, idealist, romanticist, visionary, mopus, romancer, dreamer, somnambulist, rhapsodist, castle-buildier, fanciful projector, imagined, ben trovato, air drawn, airbuilt, imagining, imaginative, original, inventive, creative, fertile, romantic, high flown, flighty, extravagant, fanatic, enthusiastic, unrealistic, Utopian, Quixotic, ideal, unreal, in the clouds, in nubibus, unsubsantial, illusory, fabulous, legendary, mythical, mythic, mythological, chimerical, imaginary, visionary, notional, fancy, fanciful, fantastic, fantastical, whimsical, fairy, fairy-like, gestic, a change came o'er the spirit of my dream, aegri somnia vana, dolphinum appingit sylvis in fluctibus aprum, fancy light from fancy caught, imagination rules the world, l'imagination gallope, le jugement ne va que le pas, musaeo contingens cuncta lepore, tous songes sont mensonges, Wahrheil und Dichtung, DIVISION II COMMUNICATION OF IDEAS.