Synonyms of misleading

misleading 1 of 2

adjective

as in deceptive

tending or having power to deceive

the misleading text of the advertisement would like you to believe that you're getting something for nothing

Synonyms & Similar Words

• deceptive
• false
• incorrect
• deceiving
• deceitful
• specious
• fallacious
• ambiguous
• delusive
• inaccurate
• beguiling
• delusory
• deluding
• fraudulent
• subtle
• perplexing
• dishonest
• trick
• puzzling
• tricky
• wrong
• cunning
• confounding
• crooked
• untruthful
• sneaky
• mendacious
• distracting
• lying
• wily
• untrustworthy
• slick
• shifty
• underhanded
• duplicitous
• artful
• crafty
• sly
• treacherous
• shady
• foxy
• subtile
• devious
• bogus
• spurious
• insidious
• underhand
• evasive
• bewildering
• counterfeit
• faithless
• artificial
• trickish
• fake
• hypocritical
• perfidious
• forged
• guileful
• equivocal
• insincere
• phony
• sham
• feigned
• dissembling
• ambidextrous
• defrauding
• knavish
• jive
• circuitous
• sneaking
• backhanded
• fast
• double-dealing
• two-faced
• left-handed

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• straightforward
• forthright
• direct
• plain
• frank
• open
• candid
• straight
• outspoken
• nondeceptive
• illuminating
• explanatory
• aboveboard
• revealing
• clarifying
• truthful
• revelatory
• plainspoken
• honest
• openhearted
• trustworthy
• free-spoken
• elucidative
• foursquare

misleading

2 of 2

verb

present participle of mislead

as in deceiving

to cause to believe what is untrue

the coral snake's attractive colors can mislead you into thinking that it is harmless

Synonyms & Similar Words

• deceiving
• tricking
• fooling
• misguiding
• misinforming
• kidding
• teasing
• deluding
• duping
• bamboozling
• beguiling
• suckering
• gulling
• hoaxing
• hoodwinking
• cheating
• humbugging
• bluffing
• stinging
• sucking in
• conning
• juggling
• spoofing
• cozening
• stringing along
• snookering
• taking in
• gaffing
• snowing
• faking out
• catching
• gammoning
• burning
• having on
• having
• hornswoggling
• buffaloing
• doing a number on
• pulling one's leg
• leading one down the garden path
• pulling the wool over one's eyes
• defrauding
• shortchanging
• swindling
• flimflamming
• sticking
• putting on
• fleecing
• bleeding
• mulcting
• hustling
• rooking
• diddling
• chiseling
• squeezing
• euchring
• skinning

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• revealing
• exposing
• debunking
• uncovering
• disclosing
• telling
• unmasking
• showing up
• undeceiving
• divulging
• disillusioning
• unveiling
• disabusing
• uncloaking
• disenchanting

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of misleading

Adjective

Meta argued the state failed to prove misleading statements about privacy and that content moderation actually harmed New Mexicans. — ABC News, 21 Oct. 2026

Meta argued that New Mexico failed to prove that the tech giant's executives made misleading statements about privacy and that its content moderation practices harmed state residents. — Aimee Picchi, CBS News, 21 Oct. 2026

Opposing fans were furious, some suggested canceling the season because a third straight title was a foregone conclusion, and prominent writers egged them on with misleading comments. — Ian Miller Outkick, FOXNews.com, 20 Oct. 2026

To make good decisions, consumers need to rely on accurate information, but much of the hype around peptides is misleading. — Amy Maxmen, Miami Herald, 19 Oct. 2026

No team on that list were able to sustain their goalscoring efficiency from the opening weeks across an entire campaign, and the volatility of early-season finishing numbers can give a misleading impression of a side’s stability. — Conor O'Neill, New York Times, 15 Oct. 2026

But, this being an enemies-to-lovers story, those initial appearances are misleading. — Bethy Squires, Vulture, 15 Oct. 2026

It cannot be seen as a Tom Cruise film – that would be misleading. — Zack Sharf, Variety, 15 Oct. 2026

As a result, choosing a plan based solely on monthly premiums can be misleading. — Cindy Krischer Goodman, Sun Sentinel, 14 Oct. 2026

Verb

This extra information also prevents the bee from accidentally misleading the hive. — Marta Hill, Scientific American, 15 Oct. 2026

The states are asking the courts to force OpenAI to pay a series of civil penalties and to stop misleading the public about the safety of ChatGPT. — Emma Roth, The Verge, 14 Oct. 2026

Hepburn has not yet made a recommendation on Bradford, who was also accused of misleading the School Board. — Scott Travis, Sun Sentinel, 14 Oct. 2026

City is accused of providing misleading information about its finances over a nine-year period from 2009-18. — ABC News, 13 Oct. 2026

After a misleading super PAC ad about transgender healthcare from the GOP’s Senate Leadership Fund, Brown’s campaign released a counter ad correcting the claim before pivoting to affordability. — Dorian Rhea Debussy, The Conversation, 12 Oct. 2026

Florida accuses the company of knowingly engineering its platforms to be addictive to teens, and misleading consumers about its safety. — Arkansas Online, 10 Oct. 2026

The Detroit Free Press and other Michigan- and national-based media organizations have said the claims are misleading or lacking context. — Barnini Chakraborty, The Washington Examiner, 9 Oct. 2026

Trump, always sensitive to perceptions about popularity, has since resorted to misleading people about how well those speeches performed. — Brian Stelter, CNN Money, 8 Oct. 2026