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

• beguiling
• deceitful
• deceiving
• deluding
• delusive
• delusory
• fallacious
• false
• misleading
• specious

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

The families of five Marines who were killed when their V-22 Osprey helicopter crashed during a 2022 training exercise in Imperial County have sued the designers and manufacturers of the aircraft, alleging deceptive practices and systemic failures. —Terry Castleman, Los Angeles Times, 23 May 2024

But at Canada’s 44-year-old Festival International de Jazz de Montreal— better known as the Montreal Jazz Festival — the question is deceptive in several ways. —George Varga, Twin Cities, 21 May 2024

Word History

Etymology

see deception

First Known Use

circa 1611, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing deceptive

• looks can be deceiving/deceptive

Kids 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