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 For the final event, Tommerup plans to do something deceptively simple. — Miguel Sirgado, Miami Herald, 8 Oct. 2026 The paper, led by a researcher named Evan Hubinger, described an experiment in which Anthropic’s team had deliberately trained AI models to behave deceptively. — Kevin Roose, Vanity Fair, 7 Oct. 2026 Seeing the entire court while operating with the ball can be deceptively difficult for young NBA players. — Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 7 Oct. 2026 Human hands are deceptively complex pieces of bioengineering that are capable of fine motor control, tactile sensing, and strength. — Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 26 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 Now, the legal system is reminding us about a deceptively simple question. — Morey Haber, Forbes.com, 16 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
  • Villarreal Ortiz obtained permanent residence by falsely identifying his aunt, a naturalized American citizen, as his mother and later concealed that deception when applying for citizenship, prosecutors say.
    — Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 9 Oct. 2026
  • According to the Public Defender's Office, officers falsely claimed that Gibson had assaulted them by biting, punching, and wrapping a radio cord around an officer's neck, claims later refuted by video evidence.
    — Senior Editor, CBS News, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of falsely
Adverb
  • Though Simone Rocha’s pink fluff of formal attire from her spring 2027 collection was full of playful romance, Edgar-Jones’s structured Chloé design artfully contrasted with a past era’s traditional adoption of romantic verve.
    — Julia Teti, Footwear News, 8 Oct. 2026
  • Clearing the air, artfully, is an opportunity to draw a group closer together.
    — Margaret Wappler, Los Angeles Times, 7 Oct. 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
  • Fungi can artificially inflate the price by hoarding the phosphorus in their network and then driving the price of it, waiting basically until the plant is able to provide more carbon in return.
    — Quanta Magazine, Quanta Magazine, 15 Oct. 2026
  • Defensive capabilities ‘artificially restricted’ That information deficit has been compounded by Elon Musk’s Starlink curbing some internet services in Ukraine, according to local officials.
    — Sana Noor Haq, CNN Money, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of artificially
Adverb
  • Calvin’s eager-to-please son, Wade (Charlie Heaton), watches his captain fall prey to unnaturally turning tides.
    — Ben Travers, IndieWire, 8 Oct. 2026
  • Experts back then warned that as trains got faster, passengers would suffocate, or that looking at unnaturally fast-moving scenery could permanently compromise visual processing.
    — Mark P. Mills, Washington Post, 5 Oct. 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 17 Oct. 2026.

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