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
In the suit, filed Friday, Newsom says that Fox News had used deceptive edits to claim that the governor had lied in saying that Trump had not called him about deploying National Guard troops during the L.A. protests.
—
Caitlin Huston, HollywoodReporter, 27 June 2025
Florida is leading the way in what can become a national movement to crack down on hospitals’ deceptive and unfair billing practices.
—Cynthia A. Fisher, Sun Sentinel, 26 June 2025
That’s a problem for student borrowers, because the private lending industry has a wretched history, rife with deceptive practices.
—Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 12 June 2025
The teen’s family is suing the company for allegedly causing wrongful death, as well as for negligence and deceptive trade practices.
—ArsTechnica, 12 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for deceptive
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Caitlin Huston, HollywoodReporter, 27 June 2025
Florida is leading the way in what can become a national movement to crack down on hospitals’ deceptive and unfair billing practices.
—Cynthia A. Fisher, Sun Sentinel, 26 June 2025
That’s a problem for student borrowers, because the private lending industry has a wretched history, rife with deceptive practices.
—Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 12 June 2025
The teen’s family is suing the company for allegedly causing wrongful death, as well as for negligence and deceptive trade practices.
—ArsTechnica, 12 June 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 1 Jul. 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
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