as in misleading
tending or having power to deceive
the deceiving nature of most flat maps of the globe causes some people to believe erroneously that Greenland is actually bigger than South America
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in tricking
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
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Recent Examples of deceiving
Fran Ruiz, Space.com, 19 Dec. 2025
Few things in life are more deceiving than a Week 1 game, especially those played in a rainstorm on the other side of an ocean.
—Stewart Mandel, New York Times, 27 Aug. 2025
Meghan Schiller, CBS News, 8 May 2026
Journalists must avoid deception, but the primary instance when it may be excused is in deceiving certain sources during undercover investigations on an issue of public importance.
—Encyclopedia Britannica, 7 May 2026
Her The Wife nods and supports, all knowingly without deceiving the emotional truths of the narrative.
—Chris Feil, Vulture, 1 May 2026
Swalwell apparently did an excellent job deceiving those around him, including some congressional and campaign staffers who’d known him for years and worked closely with the seven-term lawmaker, day in, day out.
—Los Angeles Times, 17 Apr. 2026
The Mets have a responsibility to protect their players by not throwing them under the bus, but there are ways to do that without trying to convince people that their eyes are deceiving them.
—Abbey Mastracco, New York Daily News, 16 Apr. 2026
But appearances can be deceiving, Lynette’s family maintains.
—Janelle Griffith, PEOPLE, 14 Apr. 2026
Through the window, the lack of visible trees suggested a barren landscape, but looks are deceiving.
—Quanta Magazine, 6 Apr. 2026
The specifications on the Neo can be deceiving.
—Dwight Silverman, Houston Chronicle, 28 Mar. 2026
Adjective
In our experience, these mid-sized sets can be very deceiving.
—Fran Ruiz, Space.com, 19 Dec. 2025
Few things in life are more deceiving than a Week 1 game, especially those played in a rainstorm on the other side of an ocean.
—Stewart Mandel, New York Times, 27 Aug. 2025
Verb
He's accused of deceiving more than 6,500 pet owners and denying them promised burial services.
—Meghan Schiller, CBS News, 8 May 2026
Journalists must avoid deception, but the primary instance when it may be excused is in deceiving certain sources during undercover investigations on an issue of public importance.
—Encyclopedia Britannica, 7 May 2026
Her The Wife nods and supports, all knowingly without deceiving the emotional truths of the narrative.
—Chris Feil, Vulture, 1 May 2026
Swalwell apparently did an excellent job deceiving those around him, including some congressional and campaign staffers who’d known him for years and worked closely with the seven-term lawmaker, day in, day out.
—Los Angeles Times, 17 Apr. 2026
The Mets have a responsibility to protect their players by not throwing them under the bus, but there are ways to do that without trying to convince people that their eyes are deceiving them.
—Abbey Mastracco, New York Daily News, 16 Apr. 2026
But appearances can be deceiving, Lynette’s family maintains.
—Janelle Griffith, PEOPLE, 14 Apr. 2026
Through the window, the lack of visible trees suggested a barren landscape, but looks are deceiving.
—Quanta Magazine, 6 Apr. 2026
The specifications on the Neo can be deceiving.
—Dwight Silverman, Houston Chronicle, 28 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for deceiving
Adjective
-
At the same time, the podcast acknowledges that outward appearances can be misleading.—
Malana VanTyler,
USA Today,
8 May 2026
-
Experts warn that by the time others leave reviews or complain about the misleading claims, the sites often go offline or move on to selling another product.—
Aaron Katersky,
ABC News,
8 May 2026
Verb
-
This method involves tricking an employee or person with elevated access into giving up their password.—
Marybel Rodriguez,
CBS News,
9 May 2026
-
Instead of acting independently, the forces influence one another to amplify the ion’s motion, thereby tricking the system into generating a much stronger, more complex interaction than either force could achieve alone.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
1 May 2026
Adjective
-
The plaintiffs in the California suit claim they were misled by deceptive labeling when purchasing the product more than a dozen times in California stores.—
Itzel Luna,
Chicago Tribune,
13 May 2026
-
Patel’s complaint against FanDuel includes claims for negligence, intentional infliction of emotional distress, conspiracy, and deceptive and unfair trade practices.—
Michael McCann,
Sportico.com,
12 May 2026
Verb
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After killing Minnesota’s first power play, the Avalanche opened the scoring when defenseman Sam Malinski scored his first career playoff goal, fooling Wallstedt with a rising wrist shot.—
Jess Myers,
Twin Cities,
4 May 2026
-
But anyone in the auto industry who didn’t feel like something was going to happen in China five years ago was fooling themselves.—
Jamie Lincoln Kitman,
Rolling Stone,
24 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
On May 14, Dana Williamson, a former top aide to Newsom and onetime Becerra political adviser, pleaded guilty in federal court after accepting a plea deal to multiple charges, including committing bank and wire fraud, filing a false tax return, and lying to the FBI.—
James Ward,
USA Today,
15 May 2026
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Dana Williamson, former top aide to Newsom, pleaded guilty in an FBI corruption probe to bank fraud, filing a false tax return and lying to the FBI.—
Sacbee.com,
Sacbee.com,
15 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Deceiving.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/deceiving. Accessed 17 May. 2026.
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