hoodwinked: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples
LowFormal, Literary, somewhat Archaic
Quick answer
What does “hoodwinked” mean?
To deceive, trick, or mislead someone, often by preventing them from seeing the truth.
Audio
Pronunciation
Definition
Meaning and Definition
To deceive, trick, or mislead someone, often by preventing them from seeing the truth.
To be manipulated or swindled, often through a cunning, elaborate, or persistent deception that makes a person act against their own interest.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No significant difference in meaning. The word is somewhat archaic in both varieties but retains use in formal writing and specific contexts.
Connotations
Slightly more literary or whimsical in modern use for both. In UK English, it may occasionally surface in political or media commentary with a touch of irony.
Frequency
Equally low frequency in both varieties. Possibly slightly more prevalent in UK legal or journalistic contexts describing fraud.
Grammar
How to Use “hoodwinked” in a Sentence
[Someone] was hoodwinked by [someone/something].[Someone] hoodwinked [someone] into [doing something].Feel hoodwinked.Vocabulary
Collocations
Examples
Examples of “hoodwinked” in a Sentence
verb
British English
- The con artist hoodwinked several elderly victims out of their life savings.
- He was hoodwinked into signing the contract without reading the small print.
American English
- The scam completely hoodwinked the entire town.
- They felt hoodwinked by the car salesman's smooth talk.
adverb
British English
- Not applicable.
American English
- Not applicable.
adjective
British English
- The hoodwinked investors launched a lawsuit.
- A hoodwinked public is a danger to democracy.
American English
- The hoodwinked customers demanded refunds.
- He had a hoodwinked expression when the truth came out.
Usage
Meaning in Context
Business
Investors felt they had been hoodwinked by the company's falsified financial reports.
Academic
The historian argued that the public was hoodwinked by propaganda into supporting the war.
Everyday
I realised I'd been hoodwinked into paying double the normal price for that souvenir.
Technical
Not typically used in technical registers.
Vocabulary
Synonyms of “hoodwinked”
Vocabulary
Antonyms of “hoodwinked”
Watch out
Common Mistakes When Using “hoodwinked”
- Using it as a noun (e.g., 'It was a hoodwink.'). The noun form 'hoodwink' is obsolete. Using it to mean simply 'confused' rather than 'deceived'. Overusing the word in modern, casual speech where 'tricked' is more natural.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
No, it is considered somewhat formal and slightly archaic. Words like 'tricked', 'deceived', or 'scammed' are more common in everyday speech.
It comes from the practice of placing a hood (or 'wink', an old word for 'to close the eyes') over someone's head to blindfold them, originally used in falconry to keep birds calm.
Yes, it can appear in legal or journalistic writing to describe a serious case of fraud or deception where someone was deliberately misled.
Being 'mistaken' implies an error in understanding, often without malicious external cause. Being 'hoodwinked' implies an active, deliberate deception by another party leading to that error.
To deceive, trick, or mislead someone, often by preventing them from seeing the truth.
Hoodwinked is usually formal, literary, somewhat archaic in register.
Hoodwinked: in British English it is pronounced /ˈhʊdˌwɪŋkt/, and in American English it is pronounced /ˈhʊdˌwɪŋkt/. Tap the audio buttons above to hear it.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Imagine a sneaky person putting a HOOD over a WINKING person's eyes. The winker can't see the trick coming, and gets HOODWINKED.
Conceptual Metaphor
KNOWING IS SEEING / DECEPTION IS PREVENTING FROM SEEING. The 'hood' blocks vision, metaphorically blocking understanding.
Practice
Quiz
In which of the following situations is the use of 'hoodwinked' LEAST appropriate?