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
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau held a hearing that put airline credit cards on blast, with federal officials accusing carriers of using deceptive practices to lure customers.
—
Morgan Haefner, Quartz, 10 July 2024
In October, Bride and Fairplay wrote to the FTC calling for an agency investigation into NGL and accusing it of unfair and deceptive business practices in violation of federal law.
—Brian Fung, CNN, 9 July 2024
In October, child safety group Fairplay and parent activist Kristin Bride filed a complaint urging the FTC to investigate allegations that the app’s parent company, NGL Labs, illegally marketed itself to children using unfair and deceptive trade practices.
—Cristiano Lima-Strong, Washington Post, 9 July 2024
Consumer protection laws give attorneys general broad legal authority to request a wide range of records when investigating businesses or charities for allegations of deceptive or fraudulent practices.
—Alejandro Serrano, ProPublica, 3 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for deceptive 
Morgan Haefner, Quartz, 10 July 2024
In October, Bride and Fairplay wrote to the FTC calling for an agency investigation into NGL and accusing it of unfair and deceptive business practices in violation of federal law.
—Brian Fung, CNN, 9 July 2024
In October, child safety group Fairplay and parent activist Kristin Bride filed a complaint urging the FTC to investigate allegations that the app’s parent company, NGL Labs, illegally marketed itself to children using unfair and deceptive trade practices.
—Cristiano Lima-Strong, Washington Post, 9 July 2024
Consumer protection laws give attorneys general broad legal authority to request a wide range of records when investigating businesses or charities for allegations of deceptive or fraudulent practices.
—Alejandro Serrano, ProPublica, 3 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for deceptive
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 26 Jul. 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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