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
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
People wear masks to hide their selfishness, deceiving others in order to satisfy their own desires.
—Kenneth Andrew Andres Leonardo, The Conversation, 6 Mar. 2026
He is also accused of deceiving escrow agents to secure the release of pre-construction condominium deposits and then misappropriating those funds for personal expenses unrelated to the developments.
—Alexandra Koch, FOXNews.com, 6 Mar. 2026
Others recommend using the opportunity to educate children on the importance of news, understanding where to find accurate facts and how to identify when something is not true or deceiving.
—ABC News, 4 Mar. 2026
After the remaining contestants voted out Johnny Weir, Tara Lipinski and Eric Nam, Higgins was blindsided to discover her close ally, Rob Rausch, was deceiving her all along.
—Melina Khan, USA Today, 27 Feb. 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
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
People wear masks to hide their selfishness, deceiving others in order to satisfy their own desires.
—Kenneth Andrew Andres Leonardo, The Conversation, 6 Mar. 2026
He is also accused of deceiving escrow agents to secure the release of pre-construction condominium deposits and then misappropriating those funds for personal expenses unrelated to the developments.
—Alexandra Koch, FOXNews.com, 6 Mar. 2026
Others recommend using the opportunity to educate children on the importance of news, understanding where to find accurate facts and how to identify when something is not true or deceiving.
—ABC News, 4 Mar. 2026
After the remaining contestants voted out Johnny Weir, Tara Lipinski and Eric Nam, Higgins was blindsided to discover her close ally, Rob Rausch, was deceiving her all along.
—Melina Khan, USA Today, 27 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for deceiving
Adjective
-
But without context, that figure is deeply misleading.—
Robert Pearl,
Twin Cities,
8 Mar. 2026
-
Staff member Brandon Richards, who made $136,000 last year, is tasked with quickly dispatching responses to information the governor’s team deems inaccurate or misleading that is spread on social media and in the media.—
Taryn Luna,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Mar. 2026
Verb
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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
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Or, in other words, tricking them by holding up a sign.—
Adam Ismail,
The Drive,
26 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Then again, averages can be deceptive.—
Burkhard Bilger,
New Yorker,
2 Mar. 2026
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The recovered funds come from 89 separate settlements and other restitution paid back by doctors, nurses and health care systems after fraud investigations related to deceptive billing practices, pill and medication theft, and other fraud.—
Hayleigh Colombo,
IndyStar,
27 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
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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Richards and the governor’s office pushed back on false assertions that Newsom and his wife, First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom, were stealing money from the state through her office that same day.—
Taryn Luna,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Mar. 2026
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Air power cannot overthrow a government, some say, which is on one level true—a fighter jet cannot take the keys to the presidential palace, after all—and on another level, obviously false.—
Eliot A. Cohen,
The Atlantic,
6 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Deceiving.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/deceiving. Accessed 12 Mar. 2026.
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