धोखेबाज़ी (dhokhebaazii)
noun
A single-sense noun meaning deceitfulness or the act of cheating/betraying someone; built from धोखा (dhokhaa, deceit/trick) plus the agentive suffix -बाज़ (baaz) and the abstract-noun ending -ई (ii).
Sense
1
:
deceitfulness, cheating, treachery
noun, feminine
Synonyms: छल (chhal), फ़रेब (fareb), धोखा (dhokhaa, covers the single act more than the habitual trait), बेईमानी (beiimaanii, emphasizes dishonesty broadly), दगाबाज़ी (dagaabaazii, variant form with similar structure)
Frequency: medium
Cultural Note: The -बाज़ (baaz) suffix is very productive in Hindi-Urdu, turning nouns into 'one who does X' (like नौटंकीबाज़ nautankiibaaz, 'a drama-monger'), and -ई (ii) then abstracts that into the behavior itself, so धोखेबाज़ी (dhokhebaazii) literally builds up as 'the business of being a deceiver.' It's a common word in everyday complaints about being cheated in business, relationships, or friendships, and carries a fairly strong moral charge -- calling someone's actions धोखेबाज़ी (dhokhebaazii) is a real accusation, not a mild criticism.
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners sometimes use धोखा (dhokhaa) and धोखेबाज़ी (dhokhebaazii) interchangeably, but धोखा (dhokhaa) usually refers to a single instance of being deceived, while धोखेबाज़ी (dhokhebaazii) refers to the ongoing trait or pattern of behavior, closer to 'deceitfulness' as a character flaw. 2) The related agentive noun धोखेबाज़ (dhokhebaaz) means 'a cheater/deceiver' (a person), and learners often confuse this with धोखेबाज़ी (dhokhebaazii), which is the abstract quality or act itself, not the person.
Sample Sentences:
उसकी धोखेबाज़ी की वजह से मुझे लाखों का नुकसान हुआ।
Because of his deception, I suffered a loss of lakhs.
(uskii dhokhebaazii kii vajah se mujhe laakhon kaa nuksaan huaa।)
यह सीधी-सीधी धोखेबाज़ी है, इसमें कोई शक नहीं।
This is plain and simple cheating, there's no doubt about it.
(yah siidhii-siidhii dhokhebaazii hai, ismen koii shak nahiin।)
व्यापार में धोखेबाज़ी करने वालों की कोई कमी नहीं है।
There's no shortage of people who practice deception in business.
(vyaapaar men dhokhebaazii karne vaalon kii koii kamii nahiin hai।)
अगर मुझे उसकी धोखेबाज़ी के बारे में पहले पता होता, तो मैं कभी पैसे न देता।
If I had known about his deceitfulness earlier, I would never have given the money.
(agar mujhe uskii dhokhebaazii ke baare men pahle pataa hotaa, to main kabhii paise n detaa।)
उसकी धोखेबाज़ी अब सबके सामने आ गई है।
His deceitfulness has now come out in front of everyone.
(uskii dhokhebaazii ab sabke saamne aa gaii hai।)
उस पार्टनरशिप में इतनी धोखेबाज़ी थी कि आखिरकार कंपनी बंद हो गई।
There was so much deceitfulness in that partnership that the company eventually shut down.
(us paartnarship men itnii dhokhebaazii thii ki aakhirkaar kampnii band ho gaii।)
रिश्तों में धोखेबाज़ी बर्दाश्त नहीं की जा सकती।
Deceitfulness cannot be tolerated in relationships.
(rishton men dhokhebaazii bardaasht nahiin kii jaa saktii।)
यार, इतनी धोखेबाज़ी मत कर, हम दोस्त हैं!
Dude, don't be so deceitful, we're friends!
(yaar, itnii dhokhebaazii mat kar, ham dost hain!)
क्या पता उसकी बातों में कितनी धोखेबाज़ी छिपी हो।
Who knows how much deceit might be hidden in his words.
(kyaa pataa uskii baaton men kitnii dhokhebaazii chhipii ho।)
सरकारी ठेकों में धोखेबाज़ी के कई मामले सामने आए हैं।
Several cases of fraud have come to light in government contracts.
(sarkaarii thekon men dhokhebaazii ke kaii maamle saamne aae hain।)
Morphology
Noun
(sg.f.direct):
धोखेबाज़ी
(dhokhebaazii)
(sg.f.oblique):
धोखेबाज़ी
(dhokhebaazii)
(pl.f.direct):
धोखेबाज़ियाँ
(dhokhebaaziyaan)
(pl.f.oblique):
धोखेबाज़ियों
(dhokhebaaziyon)