chicanery

noun

chi·​ca·​nery shi-ˈkān-rē How to pronounce chicanery (audio)
-ˈkā-nə-,
chi-
plural chicaneries
1
: deception by artful subterfuge or sophistry : trickery
He wasn't above using chicanery to win votes.
2
: a piece of sharp practice (as at law) : trick
resorted to political chicaneries
financial chicaneries

Did you know?

Chicanery Has Roots in French

We have hardly any words that do so fully expresse the French clinquant, naiveté … chicaneries. So lamented English writer John Evelyn in a letter to Sir Peter Wyche in 1665. Evelyn and Wyche were members of a group called the Royal Society, which had formed a committee emulating the French Academy for the purpose of "improving the English language." We can surmise that, in Evelyn's estimation, the addition of chicanery to English from French was an improvement. What he apparently didn't realize was that English speakers had adopted the word from the French chicanerie before he wished for it; the term appears in English manuscripts dating from 1609. Similarly, clinquant ("glittering with gold or tinsel") dates from 1591. Naïveté, on the other hand, waited until 1673 to appear.

Examples of chicanery in a Sentence

He wasn't above using chicanery to win votes. that candidate only won the election through chicanery
Recent Examples on the Web Specter is also known for working legal miracles, though whether that's more due to his charm or chicanery is impossible to tell. Chris Snellgrove, EW.com, 16 Aug. 2023 Just as generative AI is being used as a means, and excuse, to decimate labor forces across several other industries, the same is shaking out to be especially true for a game-development world already struggling with the cost of endless corporate chicanery. Vulture, 25 Jan. 2024 That has helped fuel a boom in financial chicanery. Craig Silverman, ProPublica, 17 Jan. 2024 But regardless of the outcome, the accusations leveled via the cases gesture to themes that have defined the latest chapter in crypto’s short history: chicanery and profiteering, concealed by a veneer of decentralization. Joel Khalili, WIRED, 22 Nov. 2023 The film rigorously tried to make sense of both the digital and financial chicanery that went down. Bob Strauss, Los Angeles Times, 28 Nov. 2023 This week, Chelsea was accused of historic financial chicanery, and Manchester City, still facing 115 charges of similar offenses from the Premier League, announced eye-watering record revenues. Rory Smith, New York Times, 17 Nov. 2023 As a result of the duo's chicanery, Google says more than 100,000 business websites were blocked, costing the businesses millions of dollars. Kylie Robison, Fortune, 14 Nov. 2023 Between its parent company growth expectations, the increasing influence of product discussions on Reddit and other social platforms, and SEO chicanery, Wirecutter often feel a little bit … less. Longreads, 25 Aug. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'chicanery.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from French chicanerie "quibbling on minor points of law brought up to complicate a judicial case," going back to Middle French chiquanerie, from chicaner "to dispute by means of quibbles," earlier "to sue, prosecute" + -erie -ery — more at chicane entry 1

Note: Randle Cotgrave's French-English dictionary (1611) defines chicanerie as "wrangling, pettifogging; litigious, or craftie pleading; the perplexing of a cause with trickes; or the pestering thereof with (subtile, but) impertinent words."

First Known Use

1589, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of chicanery was in 1589

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Cite this Entry

“Chicanery.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/chicanery. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

chicanery

noun
chi·​ca·​nery shik-ˈān-(ə-)rē How to pronounce chicanery (audio)
plural chicaneries
: clever trickery

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