deceptive

adjective

de·cep·tive | \ di-ˈsep-tiv

Definition of deceptive

: 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

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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

An agency official said that the regulator was watching out for possible deceptive practices involving the trade of Jeil shares, including inducing investors through false information. — James Rogers, Fox News, "'Treasure-laden' Russian shipwreck sparks controversy," 19 July 2018 The court document suggests that for months during the presidential campaign, Mr. Trump’s top national security adviser was engaged in a deceptive effort on behalf of a foreign power. — Aruna Viswanatha, WSJ, "Prosecutors Accuse Turkey of Covert Campaign to Pressure U.S. to Hand Over Cleric," 17 Dec. 2018 The issue is particularly acute for scams involving remote technical support, where users searching for computer help are sometimes shown deceptive ads and pop-up messages warning of virus infections. — Rob Barry, WSJ, "Tech-Support Scams Prompt Google to Act," 31 Aug. 2018 The state had been concerned that some of the more than 200 centers used deceptive advertising and counseling practices to confuse or intimidate women. — David G. Savage, latimes.com, "Supreme Court rules for faith-based pregnancy centers, blocks California disclosure law," 26 June 2018 The move came a year after DeVry agreed to a $100 million settlement to resolve a Federal Trade Commission lawsuit alleging the school misled students through deceptive ads. — Maria Danilova And Richard Lardner, chicagotribune.com, "For-profit colleges struggle despite administration support," 9 Apr. 2018 The move came a year after DeVry agreed to a $100 million settlement to resolve a Federal Trade Commission lawsuit alleging the school misled students through deceptive ads. — NBC News, "For-profit colleges struggle despite assist from Betsy DeVos," 7 Apr. 2018 The Marquise is the most straightforward faction in terms of rules complexity, but like many things in Root, this is deceptive. — Charlie Theel, Ars Technica, "Root is a terrific—and fully asymmetric—woodland wargame," 29 Sep. 2018 Parents have complained to immigrant rights groups that authorities don’t explain what’s happening or are deceptive. — Molly Hennessy-fiske, latimes.com, "Was a breastfeeding infant really taken from an immigrant mother? The answer to this and other questions about families separated at the border," 16 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'deceptive.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.