deceptive

adjective de·cep·tive \ di-ˈsep-tiv \

|Updated on: 11 Aug 2018

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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deceptively

adverb

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deceptiveness

noun

See deceptive defined for English-language learners

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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 of deceptive from the Web

The simple fact is that Crisis Pregnancy Centers offer deceptive and often unlicensed patient care, and perpetuate a culture where people are shamed for their personal healthcare choices.

— madeleine aggeler, The Cut, "Supreme Court Rules in Favor of Anti-Abortion Groups That Lie to Pregnant Women," 26 June 2018
But especially among the aspiring middle class of Istanbul and other cities, parents have complained that Mr. Erdogan has aggressively pushed religious instruction in ways divisive, deceptive and damaging to educational standards.

— New York Times, "Erdogan’s Plan to Raise a ‘Pious Generation’ Divides Parents in Turkey," 18 June 2018
What makes environmentalism so deceptive and so dangerous is the fact that its becoming the religion of choice for the global environmental crowd, and it’s especially dangerous because it is not being presented as a religion.

— leah sottile, Longreads, "Bundyville Chapter Four: The Gospel of Bundy," 18 May 2018
As local-food sales grow into a $20 billion industry, a USA TODAY Network investigation found that state-branding programs designed to inform consumers and support local farmers are deceptive and virtually unregulated.

— robert anglen, azcentral, "'Buy local' food programs deceive consumers and are rarely enforced, a USA TODAY Network investigation finds," 2 Mar. 2018
Tennessee filed its complaint last month at the same time Florida, North Carolina, North Dakota, Nevada and Texas brought similar lawsuits claiming unfair and deceptive trade practices.

— Fox News, "OxyContin maker placed profits over people, lawsuit reveals," 6 July 2018
The now quiet, serene movement of the water down the Trinity River is deceptive.

— david taylor, Houston Chronicle, "Trinity River changed by Hurricane Harvey," 22 May 2018
Several state and local governments are suing Purdue Pharma for allegedly using deceptive marketing to boost sales of its opioid painkiller OxyContin, deceiving patients and doctors about the risks of opioids.

— NBC News, "Drug spoon sculpture placed outside drugmaker Purdue Pharma's headquarters," 23 June 2018
The agency has been inundated with applications since Corinthian folded in 2015 amid state and federal investigations and lawsuits over alleged fraud, deceptive marketing, and steering students into predatory loans.

— danielle douglas-gabriel, BostonGlobe.com, "Judge rejects DeVos interpretation of order to halt partial student debt relief plan," 20 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.