as in tricked
to cause to believe what is untrue
he went to great lengths to deceive his family about the nature of his new job at the mall
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of deceived
Amanda McCoy, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 30 Jan. 2026
Challengers should give Marylanders the option to choose a new direction and remove the need to confront the painful reality that they were deceived.
—Torrey Snow, Baltimore Sun, 14 Jan. 2026
Trump told people that Rupert deceived him.
—Gabriel Sherman, Vanity Fair, 14 Jan. 2026
Sextortion, a scheme where victims are deceived into sending online perpetrators explicit images and then blackmailed in exchange for money or additional graphic content, has affected thousands of teens in recent years and led to multiple suicide deaths.
—Clare Duffy, CNN Money, 12 Jan. 2026
Your husband claims not to have known the weekend arrangements in advance, claiming you were both deceived — not only by his old friends, but by their wives, and by the single female neighbor.
—Judith Martin, Mercury News, 8 Jan. 2026
The agency’s lawsuit asserts Instacart deceived consumers with false advertising, failure to provide refunds and unlawful subscription enrollment processes.
—Michelle Del Rey, USA Today, 19 Dec. 2025
Diana was first drawn into Bashir’s orbit through her brother, Charles Spencer — who had also been deceived.
—Simon Perry, PEOPLE, 27 Nov. 2025
Jonathan Gruber, an MIT professor and a key architect of Obamacare, inadvertently revealed how Americans were deceived.
—Jon Coupal, Oc Register, 26 Nov. 2025
Verb
And don’t be deceived by Saturday’s sunny skies as the high will be 32 with wind chills as low as 9 degrees.
—Amanda McCoy, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 30 Jan. 2026
Challengers should give Marylanders the option to choose a new direction and remove the need to confront the painful reality that they were deceived.
—Torrey Snow, Baltimore Sun, 14 Jan. 2026
Trump told people that Rupert deceived him.
—Gabriel Sherman, Vanity Fair, 14 Jan. 2026
Sextortion, a scheme where victims are deceived into sending online perpetrators explicit images and then blackmailed in exchange for money or additional graphic content, has affected thousands of teens in recent years and led to multiple suicide deaths.
—Clare Duffy, CNN Money, 12 Jan. 2026
Your husband claims not to have known the weekend arrangements in advance, claiming you were both deceived — not only by his old friends, but by their wives, and by the single female neighbor.
—Judith Martin, Mercury News, 8 Jan. 2026
The agency’s lawsuit asserts Instacart deceived consumers with false advertising, failure to provide refunds and unlawful subscription enrollment processes.
—Michelle Del Rey, USA Today, 19 Dec. 2025
Diana was first drawn into Bashir’s orbit through her brother, Charles Spencer — who had also been deceived.
—Simon Perry, PEOPLE, 27 Nov. 2025
Jonathan Gruber, an MIT professor and a key architect of Obamacare, inadvertently revealed how Americans were deceived.
—Jon Coupal, Oc Register, 26 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for deceived
Adjective
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O’Hara relished playing deluded snobs like this wealthy Manhattanite with artistic ambitions from director Tim Burton’s horror comedy about two dead owners of a country house who want to drive out its new buyers.—
Julie Hinds,
Freep.com,
30 Jan. 2026
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That sequence also introduces a placidly smiley Kylie Jenner playing herself on seemingly a Valium-Adderall speedball of deluded bounciness.—
Ryan Lattanzio,
IndieWire,
24 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Heathcliff has tricked Edgar’s sister, Isabella, into marrying him by pretending to love her.—
Becky Little,
Time,
13 Feb. 2026
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Experts say such scam operations in Cambodia and elsewhere have cheated people around the world out of billions of dollars and tricked people from many countries to work in them under slave-like conditions.—
Sakchai Lalit,
Los Angeles Times,
3 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Still, don’t be fooled by the light turnout.—
Alyssa Goldberg,
USA Today,
14 Feb. 2026
-
Don’t be fooled by its budget-friendly price, the fragrance is right on par with Dior’s highly coveted J’Adore perfume.—
Kyra Surgent,
InStyle,
10 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Cubs and White Sox pitchers and catchers are working out in Arizona at the start of spring training, but unless Sox general manager Chris Getz says something erroneous again, nothing much is expected to happen until the Cactus League schedule begins Friday.—
Paul Sullivan,
Chicago Tribune,
15 Feb. 2026
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Congress foolishly downsized that number in the 1980s and ’90s on the erroneous belief that more doctors would encourage unnecessary health care consumption.—
Betsy McCaughey,
Boston Herald,
8 Feb. 2026
Verb
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When academic instructional coaches were suddenly back on the chopping block after mental health practitioners were saved, Peak said she felt misled.—
Kathryn Muchnick,
Louisville Courier Journal,
20 Feb. 2026
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The group sued top Missouri state officials and lawmakers in October, arguing the ballot measure, called Amendment 4, misled voters by burying its true intent — the direct democracy overhaul — under other bullet points.—
Kacen Bayless,
Kansas City Star,
20 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Deceived.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/deceived. Accessed 22 Feb. 2026.
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