deceptive
adjective
de·cep·tive
di-ˈsep-tiv 
: tending or having power to cause someone to accept as true or valid what is false or invalid : tending or having power to deceive
a deceptive appearance
a pitcher with a deceptive windup
deceptively
adverb
deceptiveness
noun
Synonyms
Examples of deceptive in a Sentence
in his deceptive answer about the vehicle's history, the salesman said that the used car had never been hit by another car
a mail-order firm indicted for deceptive business practices
Recent Examples on the Web
Accusations leveled against Meta include allegations of deceptive practices regarding parental assurances regarding child protection measures.
—
Kartikay Mehrotra, Fortune, 30 Mar. 2024
The allegedly cheap, deceptive practice negatively impacts the environment of the places where factories are located.
—Esme Mazzeo, Peoplemag, 29 Mar. 2024
Celebrities like Taylor Swift, Kelly Clarkson, Tom Hanks and YouTube star MrBeast have had their likenesses used in the past six months to hawk deceptive diet supplements, dental plan promotions and iPhone giveaways.
—Pranshu Verma, Washington Post, 28 Mar. 2024
In 2016, California state officials sued MyPillow over its deceptive marketing practices, such as claiming that its products could treat insomnia, sleep apnea, fibromyalgia, and multiple sclerosis.
—William Gavin, Quartz, 27 Mar. 2024
As the curators make clear, binaries are deceptive.
—Jonathon Keats, Forbes, 29 Feb. 2024
The latest update on Prince Harry's litigation against tabloids using deceptive methods to break stories includes his late mother, Princess Diana.
—Stephanie Petit, Peoplemag, 22 Mar. 2024
While welfare checks may generally seem to be safer than other emergency calls, national data appears to show that the assumption is deceptive, according to Alejandro del Carmen, associate dean of the School of Criminology, Criminal Justice and Public Administration at Tarleton State University.
—Cody Copeland, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 22 Mar. 2024
The lawsuit, filed on March 11 in federal court, alleges that the Women's Cancer Fund raised the money from 2017 to 2022 by making deceptive and misleading claims.
—Aimee Picchi, CBS News, 22 Mar. 2024
Kartikay Mehrotra, Fortune, 30 Mar. 2024
The allegedly cheap, deceptive practice negatively impacts the environment of the places where factories are located.
—Esme Mazzeo, Peoplemag, 29 Mar. 2024
Celebrities like Taylor Swift, Kelly Clarkson, Tom Hanks and YouTube star MrBeast have had their likenesses used in the past six months to hawk deceptive diet supplements, dental plan promotions and iPhone giveaways.
—Pranshu Verma, Washington Post, 28 Mar. 2024
In 2016, California state officials sued MyPillow over its deceptive marketing practices, such as claiming that its products could treat insomnia, sleep apnea, fibromyalgia, and multiple sclerosis.
—William Gavin, Quartz, 27 Mar. 2024
As the curators make clear, binaries are deceptive.
—Jonathon Keats, Forbes, 29 Feb. 2024
The latest update on Prince Harry's litigation against tabloids using deceptive methods to break stories includes his late mother, Princess Diana.
—Stephanie Petit, Peoplemag, 22 Mar. 2024
While welfare checks may generally seem to be safer than other emergency calls, national data appears to show that the assumption is deceptive, according to Alejandro del Carmen, associate dean of the School of Criminology, Criminal Justice and Public Administration at Tarleton State University.
—Cody Copeland, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 22 Mar. 2024
The lawsuit, filed on March 11 in federal court, alleges that the Women's Cancer Fund raised the money from 2017 to 2022 by making deceptive and misleading claims.
—Aimee Picchi, CBS News, 22 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'deceptive.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Deceptive.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/deceptive. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
deceptive
adjective
de·cep·tive
di-ˈsep-tiv
: tending or having power to deceive : misleading
a deceptive appearance
deceptively
adverb
deceptiveness
noun
Legal Definition
deceptive
adjective
de·cep·tive
di-ˈsep-tiv
: tending or having capacity to deceive
deceptive trade practices
compare fraudulent, misleading
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