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deceptively

adverb

as in falsely

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of deceptively Recent incidents involving models that bypassed safeguards or behaved deceptively have added urgency to the safety debate. — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 23 Sep. 2026 The question for me is whether or not Lloyd will also manage to capture the melancholy of a deceptively serious play, notwithstanding its reputation. — Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune, 23 Sep. 2026 These lacy white flowers look deceptively similar—but mistaking one for the other can have severe consequences. — Sj McShane, Martha Stewart, 18 Sep. 2026 In deceptively plain diction, the hurdle of one love relationship provokes an exploration of desire and belonging. — Literary Hub, 17 Sep. 2026 The numbers behind the melt are both mind-bogglingly huge and deceptively small. — ABC News, 16 Sep. 2026 Huge numbers for ice melt, people flooded The numbers behind the melt are both mind-bogglingly huge and deceptively small. — Seth Borenstein, Los Angeles Times, 16 Sep. 2026 Now, the legal system is reminding us about a deceptively simple question. — Morey Haber, Forbes.com, 16 Sep. 2026 The 30-part series is built around the deceptively simple question — what is the greatest song ever made? — Peter White, Deadline, 10 Sep. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for deceptively
  1. falsely
  2. artfully
  3. deceitfully
  4. dishonestly
  5. artificially
  6. unnaturally
  7. cannily
  8. hypocritically
Adverb
  • Garg claims Lewis falsely told the board that Garg supported the plan to rescind their equity grants and remove half the board.
    — Amanda Gerut, Fortune, 19 Sep. 2026
  • Prosecutors say Castro falsely told investigators that he had been attacked with a broom and a shovel.
    — TIM SULLIVAN, Arkansas Online, 18 Sep. 2026
Definition of falsely
Adverb
  • And Mylette Nora’s costumes artfully conjure both the underworld and the spiritual realm.
    — Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 17 Sep. 2026
  • Jobe artfully got both feet in bounds to secure the turnover, and the 13-10 victory for Seattle.
    — Andrew Greif, NBC news, 10 Sep. 2026
Definition of artfully
Adverb
  • Jacob goes to Isaac with this hairy disguise, deceitfully announces himself as Esau, and obtains his father’s blessing—much to the chagrin of his brother.
    — Charles Preston, Encyclopedia Britannica, 13 Mar. 2026
  • To help fill their coffers even more, the lobbyists deceitfully expanded the definition of those notch years to include everyone born through 1926.
    — Tom Margenau, Dallas Morning News, 1 Feb. 2026
Definition of deceitfully
Adverb
  • This critical and necessary dialogue is then dishonestly framed as being anti-Israel.
    — Jack Dunn, Variety, 22 Aug. 2026
  • In that lawsuit, State Farm said that the record only showed a disagreement over the cause of roof damage, and that there was no evidence the company had acted dishonestly.
    — Michael Copley, NPR, 28 Apr. 2026
Definition of dishonestly
Adverb
  • The suit alleged that the poll and the reporting around it aimed to artificially give Democrats an edge in the last week of the campaign.
    — Brian Stelter, CNN Money, 23 Sep. 2026
  • Who or what will guide us to artificially intelligent salvation, according to the commander in chief?
    — Andrew Nusca, Fortune, 15 Sep. 2026
Definition of artificially
Adverb
  • Naturally—or, rather, unnaturally—the look includes total pubic hair removal.
    — Valerie Monroe, Allure, 21 Sep. 2026
  • Flies buzz over the rotting carcass, which is riven by claw marks so unnaturally deep that no one can determine whomauledit.
    — Justin Chang, New Yorker, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of unnaturally
Adverb
  • The idea might seem clever, as if the artist has cannily illustrated how the lovey-dovey notion of romance and family is hokey, brain-dead, false.
    — Carlos Valladares, ARTnews.com, 11 Sep. 2026
  • In her depiction of the exhausting vigilance this reality required, through a second-person voice cannily implicating her reader, Rankine created a new language to identify a problem as old as the United States.
    — Charles Finch, The Atlantic, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of cannily
Adverb
  • Takeshita came across a vaunted screwdriver in the ring as Don Callis hypocritically called him a degenerate.
    — Alfred Konuwa, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2026
  • Trump hypocritically voted by mail himself in a recent Florida special election.
    — George Skelton, Mercury News, 10 Apr. 2026
Definition of hypocritically

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Cite this Entry

“Deceptively.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/deceptively. Accessed 25 Sep. 2026.

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