धोखेबाज़ (dhokhebaaz)
noun/adjective
A compound of धोखा (dhokhaa, 'deceit') plus the Persian agentive suffix -बाज़ (baaz), giving a single sense: a person who habitually deceives or cheats.
Sense
1
:
a deceiver, cheat, con artist (as a person)
noun, masculine/feminine
Synonyms: फ़रेबी (farebii), मक्कार (makkaar, strongly pejorative), ठग (thag, specifically a swindler/con artist)
Frequency: medium
Cultural Note: You'll hear this word thrown around in heated family or relationship arguments -- 'तुम तो धोखेबाज़ निकले' (tum to dhokhebaaz nikle, 'you turned out to be a cheat') is a common accusatory line when someone feels betrayed in love or friendship.
Common Mistakes: 1) Don't confuse with ठग (thag), which leans toward a professional swindler or trickster (as in a scam); धोखेबाज़ (dhokhebaaz) is broader and more personal, often about betrayal in relationships rather than financial fraud specifically.
Sample Sentences:
तुम तो धोखेबाज़ निकले।
You turned out to be a cheat.
(tum to dhokhebaaz nikle।)
वह एक बड़ा धोखेबाज़ है, किसी पर भरोसा मत करना।
He's a big cheat, don't trust him.
(vah ek badaa dhokhebaaz hai, kisii par bharosaa mat karnaa।)
मुझे नहीं पता था कि मेरा पार्टनर इतना बड़ा धोखेबाज़ निकलेगा।
I didn't know my partner would turn out to be such a huge cheat.
(mujhe nahiin pataa thaa ki meraa paartnar itnaa badaa dhokhebaaz niklegaa।)
उस धोखेबाज़ को पुलिस ने आखिरकार पकड़ लिया।
The police finally caught that con artist.
(us dhokhebaaz ko pulis ne aakhirkaar pakad liyaa।)
अगर वह धोखेबाज़ न होता, तो हमारा सारा पैसा नहीं डूबता।
If he weren't a cheat, our money wouldn't have gone down the drain.
(agar vah dhokhebaaz n hotaa, to hamaaraa saaraa paisaa nahiin doobtaa।)
इन धोखेबाज़ों से सावधान रहना, ये लोगों को ठगते हैं।
Be careful of these con artists, they swindle people.
(in dhokhebaazon se saavdhaan rahnaa, ye logon ko thagte hain।)
यह ज़रूरी नहीं कि हर व्यापारी धोखेबाज़ हो।
It's not necessary that every businessman is a cheat.
(yah zaroorii nahiin ki har vyaapaarii dhokhebaaz ho।)
उस धोखेबाज़ द्वारा ठगे गए कई लोग अब कोर्ट पहुँच गए हैं।
Many people cheated by that con artist have now reached the court.
(us dhokhebaaz dvaaraa thage gae kaii log ab kort pahunch gae hain।)
समाज में ऐसे धोखेबाज़ों की कोई जगह नहीं होनी चाहिए।
There should be no place for such cheats in society.
(samaaj men aise dhokhebaazon kii koii jagah nahiin honii chaahie।)
मेरी दादी हमेशा कहती थीं कि दुनिया में धोखेबाज़ों की कमी नहीं है।
My grandmother always used to say there's no shortage of cheats in this world.
(merii daadii hameshaa kahtii thiin ki duniyaa men dhokhebaazon kii kamii nahiin hai।)
Sense
2
:
deceitful, cheating, treacherous (describing a person or their nature)
adjective Functions attributively or predicatively describing a person's character, e.g. वह धोखेबाज़ आदमी है (vah dhokhebaaz aadmii hai, 'he is a deceitful man').
Synonyms: धोखेबाज़ (dhokhebaaz) doubles as a noun and adjective, फ़रेबी (farebii), मक्कार (makkaar, strongly pejorative), बेईमान (beiimaan, dishonest, broader sense)
Frequency: medium
Cultural Note: This word carries real sting -- calling someone धोखेबाज़ (dhokhebaaz) is an accusation of betrayal, often used about a friend, business partner, or lover who broke trust, not just any liar. It shares its root with धोखा देना (dhokhaa denaa, 'to deceive/betray someone'), the verb phrase you'll hear far more often in everyday complaints.
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners sometimes use it for a one-off lie or mistake -- धोखेबाज़ (dhokhebaaz) implies a pattern of character, not a single slip; for that, बेईमानी करना (beiimaanii karnaa) or झूठ बोलना (jhooth bolnaa) fits better. 2) As an adjective it does not inflect for gender/number the way कड़ा-type adjectives do -- it stays धोखेबाज़ (dhokhebaaz) whether describing a man or a woman.
Sample Sentences:
वह बहुत धोखेबाज़ इंसान है।
He is a very deceitful person.
(vah bahut dhokhebaaz insaan hai।)
मुझे नहीं पता था कि वह इतना धोखेबाज़ निकलेगा।
I did not know he would turn out to be so treacherous.
(mujhe nahiin pataa thaa ki vah itnaa dhokhebaaz niklegaa।)
उसकी धोखेबाज़ आदतों से सब परेशान थे।
Everyone was troubled by his deceitful habits.
(uskii dhokhebaaz aadton se sab pareshaan the।)
अगर वह इतना धोखेबाज़ न होता, तो हम अब भी दोस्त होते।
If he weren't so treacherous, we would still be friends.
(agar vah itnaa dhokhebaaz n hotaa, to ham ab bhii dost hote।)
क्या तुम्हें लगता है कि वह लड़का धोखेबाज़ है?
Do you think that guy is deceitful?
(kyaa tumhen lagtaa hai ki vah ladkaa dhokhebaaz hai?)
इतना धोखेबाज़ मत बनो, यार।
Don't be so treacherous, man.
(itnaa dhokhebaaz mat bano, yaar।)
व्यापार जगत में कुछ लोग बेहद धोखेबाज़ होते हैं।
In the business world, some people are extremely deceitful.
(vyaapaar jagat men kuchh log behad dhokhebaaz hote hain।)
उसके धोखेबाज़ स्वभाव को देखकर मुझे शक होने लगा।
Seeing his deceitful nature, I started to grow suspicious.
(uske dhokhebaaz svabhaav ko dekhkar mujhe shak hone lagaa।)
शायद वह इतना धोखेबाज़ न हो, हो सकता है कि सिर्फ गलतफ़हमी हुई हो।
Maybe he isn't so deceitful, it's possible it was just a misunderstanding.
(shaayad vah itnaa dhokhebaaz n ho, ho saktaa hai ki sirph galatfahmii huii ho।)
साहब, वह पार्टनर बहुत धोखेबाज़ साबित हुआ।
Sir, that partner turned out to be very deceitful.
(saahab, vah paartnar bahut dhokhebaaz saabit huaa।)
Morphology
Noun
(sg.m/f.direct):
धोखेबाज़
(dhokhebaaz)
(sg.m/f.oblique):
धोखेबाज़
(dhokhebaaz)
(pl.m/f.direct):
धोखेबाज़ें
(dhokhebaazen)
(pl.m/f.oblique):
धोखेबाज़ों
(dhokhebaazon)
Adjective (invariant)
invariant:
धोखेबाज़
(dhokhebaaz)