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
Unboxed, these black silicone bands look unassuming, but their simplicity is deceptive.
—
Laura Paddison, CNN Money, 7 Oct. 2025
The shuttering of the agency that enforces laws against anticompetitive and deceptive business behavior is one small part of the national gridlock that began on Wednesday and could result in the furlough of 750,000 federal workers and delay air travel.
—Reuters, USA Today, 2 Oct. 2025
And neither intelligence nor proficiency with technology is a safeguard against the seductive and deceptive aspects of a chatbot.
—Miles Klee, Rolling Stone, 1 Oct. 2025
In recent years, users have increasingly been taking to court to challenge allegedly deceptive practices by Amazon.
—Winston Cho, HollywoodReporter, 25 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for deceptive
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Laura Paddison, CNN Money, 7 Oct. 2025
The shuttering of the agency that enforces laws against anticompetitive and deceptive business behavior is one small part of the national gridlock that began on Wednesday and could result in the furlough of 750,000 federal workers and delay air travel.
—Reuters, USA Today, 2 Oct. 2025
And neither intelligence nor proficiency with technology is a safeguard against the seductive and deceptive aspects of a chatbot.
—Miles Klee, Rolling Stone, 1 Oct. 2025
In recent years, users have increasingly been taking to court to challenge allegedly deceptive practices by Amazon.
—Winston Cho, HollywoodReporter, 25 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for deceptive
Cite this Entry
“Deceptive.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/deceptive. Accessed 9 Oct. 2025.
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
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share