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
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
Trump originally accused the bank of trade libel and violating state and federal unfair and deceptive trade practices.
—
Ken Sweet, Los Angeles Times, 22 Feb. 2026
Looks can be deceptive, especially on the first day.
—Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 21 Feb. 2026
The synthetic version has made its way into products that provide a masterclass in deceptive marketing.
—Kevin Rennie, Hartford Courant, 21 Feb. 2026
The office also logged 151 complaints about health care, including disagreements over health insurance payments, billing, deceptive treatment and related issues.
—Lee Rood, Des Moines Register, 20 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for deceptive
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Ken Sweet, Los Angeles Times, 22 Feb. 2026
Looks can be deceptive, especially on the first day.
—Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 21 Feb. 2026
The synthetic version has made its way into products that provide a masterclass in deceptive marketing.
—Kevin Rennie, Hartford Courant, 21 Feb. 2026
The office also logged 151 complaints about health care, including disagreements over health insurance payments, billing, deceptive treatment and related issues.
—Lee Rood, Des Moines Register, 20 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for deceptive
Cite this Entry
“Deceptive.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/deceptive. Accessed 25 Feb. 2026.
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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