Synonym Chooser

How does the verb mislead differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of mislead are beguile, deceive, and delude. While all these words mean "to lead astray or frustrate usually by underhandedness," mislead implies a leading astray that may or may not be intentional.

I was misled by the confusing sign

When might beguile be a better fit than mislead?

In some situations, the words beguile and mislead are roughly equivalent. However, beguile stresses the use of charm and persuasion in deceiving.

was beguiled by false promises

When could deceive be used to replace mislead?

While in some cases nearly identical to mislead, deceive implies imposing a false idea or belief that causes ignorance, bewilderment, or helplessness.

tried to deceive me about the cost

In what contexts can delude take the place of mislead?

While the synonyms delude and mislead are close in meaning, delude implies deceiving so thoroughly as to obscure the truth.

we were deluded into thinking we were safe

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 mislead Even then, some parents said they felt misled about how seriously the district treated the allegations. Hannah Dreyfus, AZCentral.com, 31 Aug. 2025 The car company run by Elon Musk asked a federal court Friday to dismiss massive damages awarded to victims of a deadly crash, arguing that their lawyers had misled the jury by improperly bringing up the billionaire during the trial. Preston Fore, Fortune, 30 Aug. 2025 The emails paint a vivid picture of several days in June 2022 when county officials appeared ready to cancel or at least impose stricter oversight after realizing they had been misled about an almond-growing operation. Daniel Lempres, Sacbee.com, 29 Aug. 2025 After the federal trial, Bean, Haley and Smith were convicted of witness tampering for misleading supervisors about the beating. Gabe Whisnant, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for mislead
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mislead
Verb
  • Looks can be deceiving, Cali said.
    Bryan Washington, New Yorker, 7 Sep. 2025
  • There is some relief on the way, but do not be deceived.
    Kirsten Fiscus, Nashville Tennessean, 5 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Hurricanes explained by Ginger Zee Don't be fooled by the lack of tropical cyclones in the Atlantic Basin.
    Julia Jacobo, ABC News, 10 Sep. 2025
  • After driving his team to the 1-yard line, Fields fooled the entire Steelers defense on a fourth down, faking a handoff and then high-stepping into the end zone untouched to take a 32-31 lead.
    Mike DeFabo, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Now the abductees are required to trick others in turn.
    Christine Ro, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2025
  • In the hacking campaigns Proofpoint analyzed, cybercriminals attempted to trick users into downloading and installing Stealerium as an attachment or a web link, luring victims with typical bait like a fake payment or invoice.
    Ryan Whitwam, ArsTechnica, 4 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Mislead.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mislead. Accessed 10 Sep. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on mislead

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