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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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
-
Wiles barely could make the tight final left-hand turn that had tricked Monsen.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
30 Jan. 2026
Verb
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While everyone could be more easily fooled now, don’t be the one remembered for delivering bad intel.—
Tribune Content Agency,
Baltimore Sun,
8 Feb. 2026
-
Don’t be fooled by its petite, easy-to-carry silhouette, though, because the bag boasts plenty of space to stow your essentials and beyond.—
Kyra Surgent,
InStyle,
6 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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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
-
Civilians misidentified as undercover officers have been chased by anti-ICE mobs in public, even while the victims were going about their daily lives, based on erroneous reporting from fellow ICE monitors.—
Mia Cathell,
The Washington Examiner,
4 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Russia’s Defense and Foreign Ministries have not responded to CNN’s request for comment on allegations that some recruits were misled or coerced.—
Larry Madowo,
CNN Money,
4 Feb. 2026
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Low-Back and Low-Seat Sofas Greaves warns homeowners to not be misled by sofas with low backs and low seats.—
Halee Miller Van Ryswyk,
Better Homes & Gardens,
4 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Deceived.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/deceived. Accessed 12 Feb. 2026.
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