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
Relevance
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
Example Sentences
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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
Dwight Silverman, Houston Chronicle, 28 Mar. 2026
Keep cool, as temperatures may be deceiving National Weather Service meteorologist Katherine Berislavich said overnight lows typically drop into the upper 60s this time of year but can rise quickly by morning.
—Jose R. Gonzalez, AZCentral.com, 22 Mar. 2026
Nope, that's not your eyes deceiving you.
—Christina Perrier, InStyle, 15 Mar. 2026
There is the belief, one expressed by Payton, that free agents can be deceiving.
—Troy Renck, Denver Post, 11 Mar. 2026
Defamation, which refers to a false statement of fact that is reputationally damaging, and false light, which is a technically true statement but is presented in a highly deceiving fashion, are other possible legal actions.
—Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 9 Mar. 2026
Looks, too, can be deceiving for those not on the grounds.
—Douglas Robson, Los Angeles Times, 7 Mar. 2026
When Altman was briefly fired in late 2023, he had been accused of deceiving OpenAI’s nonprofit board.
—Matteo Wong, The Atlantic, 7 Mar. 2026
The different vibe, the altered tempo of this year’s spring training is at first deceiving.
—Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 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
The specifications on the Neo can be deceiving.
—Dwight Silverman, Houston Chronicle, 28 Mar. 2026
Keep cool, as temperatures may be deceiving National Weather Service meteorologist Katherine Berislavich said overnight lows typically drop into the upper 60s this time of year but can rise quickly by morning.
—Jose R. Gonzalez, AZCentral.com, 22 Mar. 2026
Nope, that's not your eyes deceiving you.
—Christina Perrier, InStyle, 15 Mar. 2026
There is the belief, one expressed by Payton, that free agents can be deceiving.
—Troy Renck, Denver Post, 11 Mar. 2026
Defamation, which refers to a false statement of fact that is reputationally damaging, and false light, which is a technically true statement but is presented in a highly deceiving fashion, are other possible legal actions.
—Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 9 Mar. 2026
Looks, too, can be deceiving for those not on the grounds.
—Douglas Robson, Los Angeles Times, 7 Mar. 2026
When Altman was briefly fired in late 2023, he had been accused of deceiving OpenAI’s nonprofit board.
—Matteo Wong, The Atlantic, 7 Mar. 2026
The different vibe, the altered tempo of this year’s spring training is at first deceiving.
—Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for deceiving
Adjective
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Winds high above Saturn were generating electrical currents, creating a misleading auroral signal that mimicked changes in rotation.—
Rupendra Brahambhatt,
Interesting Engineering,
28 Mar. 2026
-
Parts of the ballot language backing a tax on second homes in San Diego are misleading and must be amended, a judge ruled Thursday.—
Roxana Popescu,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
27 Mar. 2026
Verb
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San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins and Santa Cruz County District Attorney Jeff Rosell issued a joint consumer alert on Wednesday describing the scheme, which appears to be part of a nationwide scam tricking people into making payments.—
Aldo Toledo,
San Francisco Chronicle,
18 Mar. 2026
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The peach-plum gradient gown is the creation of Dutch fashion designer Iris van Herpen, whose high-fantasy sculptural gowns emphasize movement and eye-tricking form, often to gravity-defying effect.—
Jacqui Palumbo,
CNN Money,
5 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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On March 24, the jury found that Meta had violated the state’s consumer protection law by knowingly engaging in an unfair or deceptive trade practice.—
Diana Novak Jones,
USA Today,
25 Mar. 2026
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Admittedly, Palace’s results had been rather deceptive.—
Matt Woosnam,
New York Times,
25 Mar. 2026
Verb
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But Baio says Kassotis has been fooling people for years.—
Erin Moriarty,
CBS News,
8 Mar. 2026
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Indeed, depth would only get in the way of the plot, which is primarily concerned with fooling you and fooling you again.—
Television Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
7 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Lebohang Morake — the Grammy-winning South African composer behind the film’s opening Zulu vocals — filed a federal civil complaint in California on March 16 against the comedian, Learnmore Jonasi, alleging that the translation is false and damaging to his life’s work.—
Joe Kottke,
NBC news,
27 Mar. 2026
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Rebollo, a 58-year-old Chula Vista resident, pleaded guilty in December in San Diego federal court to one count of wire fraud conspiracy, one count of filing a false tax return and one count related to Social Security fraud.—
Alex Riggins,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
27 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Deceiving.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/deceiving. Accessed 1 Apr. 2026.
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