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
deceptively
adverbdeceptiveness
nounRead the Latest from M-W
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
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The complaint accuses Dollar Tree and Family Dollar of breach of contract, fraud, unfair competition and deceptive trade practices, among other allegations.
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Health-care swindlers get rich by finding a way to cheat the system and then using that deceptive practice over and over again.
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The police blame that arrangement for some of the aggressive and deceptive sales practices.
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FSCO accused Duggal in November 2016 of providing false and deceptive information and fined him C$5,000, bypassing a court hearing.
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Some 11 million cars worldwide have the deceptive software.
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Prolific and often deceptive tweeting has been a central part of Donald Trump’s public identity for years.
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The omnipresence of the cheetah in documentaries and the popular consciousness is deceptive.
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The same unidentified person was involved in all of the deceptive transactions at the store on Windward Parkway, police said.
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.
Origin and Etymology of deceptive
see deception
DECEPTIVE Defined for English Language Learners
deceptive
playDefinition of deceptive for English Language Learners
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: intended to make someone believe something that is not true
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: likely to make someone believe something that is not true
DECEPTIVE Defined for Kids
deceptive
playDefinition of deceptive for Students
: tending or able to deceive deceptive advertisements
deceptively
adverbLaw Dictionary
deceptive
playLegal Definition of deceptive
: tending or having capacity to deceive deceptive trade practices — compare fraudulent, misleading
Learn More about deceptive
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Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for deceptive Spanish Central: Translation of deceptive Nglish: Translation of deceptive for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of deceptive for Arabic speakers
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