as in misleading
tending or having power to deceive
the delusory notion that wealth invariably brings happiness
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Recent Examples of delusory
That is delusory of course, but it can be fashioned into a victory claim that might well be readily embraced by war-weary and war-wary Russians in the public and among the elite.
—
John Mueller, Foreign Affairs, 29 Nov. 2022
John Mueller, Foreign Affairs, 29 Nov. 2022
Recent Examples of Synonyms for delusory
Adjective
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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
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
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
“Delusory.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/delusory. Accessed 10 Mar. 2026.
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