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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Recent Examples of misleading
Malana Vantyler, USA Today, 8 May 2026
Experts warn that by the time others leave reviews or complain about the misleading claims, the sites often go offline or move on to selling another product.
—Aaron Katersky, ABC News, 8 May 2026
Suggesting that law enforcement needs to monitor the movements of the entire population to solve crimes is both misleading and historically false.
—Dp Opinion, Denver Post, 7 May 2026
Furthermore, Game 1’s final score is misleading.
—Geoff Clark Outkick, FOXNews.com, 7 May 2026
That target price, however, is a little misleading.
—Brian Sullivan, CNBC, 6 May 2026
And second, many studies relied on metrics such as the number of hotline calls or clinic visits, which can be misleading.
—Ilana Seff, The Conversation, 5 May 2026
But critics argue that true crime gives Americans a misleading picture of real crime.
—The Week Us, TheWeek, 4 May 2026
Despite the misleading context and language, 46% of Virginians voted against the amendment.
—Gary Franks, Hartford Courant, 3 May 2026
Julia Bonavita, FOXNews.com, 8 May 2026
His tenure was ambitious, filled with the announcements of dozens of new initiatives, including efforts to shorten drug review timelines, crack down on misleading ads, and pressure the food industry to remove chemical dyes.
—Lizzy Lawrence, STAT, 8 May 2026
In that silence, the analysis can cease measuring the universe, instead misleading you by merely echoing your starting assumptions.
—Paul M. Sutter, Scientific American, 6 May 2026
In the 1990s, tobacco companies were forced to pay billions of dollars for misleading the public about the safety and potential harms of their products, and subsequently saw their power and influence dwindle dramatically.
—Jonathan Vanian, CNBC, 4 May 2026
On the stand, Musk has taken issue with the cross-examination by opposing attorney William Savitt, accusing him of asking misleading questions designed to trick him and the jury.
—ABC News, 30 Apr. 2026
Critics say Neugebauer is at best a bad manager and accuse him of misleading investors.
—Chris Tomlinson, Houston Chronicle, 30 Apr. 2026
Musk is accusing ChatGPT’s parent company, OpenAI, and its leaders — CEO Sam Altman and president Greg Brockman — of misleading him and abandoning the company’s original nonprofit mission.
—Alexandra Banner, CNN Money, 29 Apr. 2026
With recent New York Federal Reserve Bank research showing that computer science majors now have more trouble finding jobs than humanities majors, the risk of misleading students with false curriculum certainties is genuine.
—Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Fortune, 29 Apr. 2026
Adjective
At the same time, the podcast acknowledges that outward appearances can be misleading.
—Malana Vantyler, USA Today, 8 May 2026
Experts warn that by the time others leave reviews or complain about the misleading claims, the sites often go offline or move on to selling another product.
—Aaron Katersky, ABC News, 8 May 2026
Suggesting that law enforcement needs to monitor the movements of the entire population to solve crimes is both misleading and historically false.
—Dp Opinion, Denver Post, 7 May 2026
Furthermore, Game 1’s final score is misleading.
—Geoff Clark Outkick, FOXNews.com, 7 May 2026
That target price, however, is a little misleading.
—Brian Sullivan, CNBC, 6 May 2026
And second, many studies relied on metrics such as the number of hotline calls or clinic visits, which can be misleading.
—Ilana Seff, The Conversation, 5 May 2026
But critics argue that true crime gives Americans a misleading picture of real crime.
—The Week Us, TheWeek, 4 May 2026
Despite the misleading context and language, 46% of Virginians voted against the amendment.
—Gary Franks, Hartford Courant, 3 May 2026
Verb
At this point, there is no claim that any animal suffered injury, and much of the public reaction has been driven by incomplete or misleading portrayals online.
—Julia Bonavita, FOXNews.com, 8 May 2026
His tenure was ambitious, filled with the announcements of dozens of new initiatives, including efforts to shorten drug review timelines, crack down on misleading ads, and pressure the food industry to remove chemical dyes.
—Lizzy Lawrence, STAT, 8 May 2026
In that silence, the analysis can cease measuring the universe, instead misleading you by merely echoing your starting assumptions.
—Paul M. Sutter, Scientific American, 6 May 2026
In the 1990s, tobacco companies were forced to pay billions of dollars for misleading the public about the safety and potential harms of their products, and subsequently saw their power and influence dwindle dramatically.
—Jonathan Vanian, CNBC, 4 May 2026
On the stand, Musk has taken issue with the cross-examination by opposing attorney William Savitt, accusing him of asking misleading questions designed to trick him and the jury.
—ABC News, 30 Apr. 2026
Critics say Neugebauer is at best a bad manager and accuse him of misleading investors.
—Chris Tomlinson, Houston Chronicle, 30 Apr. 2026
Musk is accusing ChatGPT’s parent company, OpenAI, and its leaders — CEO Sam Altman and president Greg Brockman — of misleading him and abandoning the company’s original nonprofit mission.
—Alexandra Banner, CNN Money, 29 Apr. 2026
With recent New York Federal Reserve Bank research showing that computer science majors now have more trouble finding jobs than humanities majors, the risk of misleading students with false curriculum certainties is genuine.
—Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Fortune, 29 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for misleading
Adjective
-
Charted on an outdated seating map weeks before the official on-sale date, these deceptive listings falsely suggested the performance was almost sold out.—
Lori Dimun,
Chicago Tribune,
6 May 2026
-
There is a broader issue of manufacturers selling dangerous products and promoting them with deceptive advertising to lure youth into using their dangerous, ineffective products.—
Jad Abdel Nour,
Hartford Courant,
4 May 2026
Verb
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He's accused of deceiving more than 6,500 pet owners and denying them promised burial services.—
Meghan Schiller,
CBS News,
8 May 2026
-
Journalists must avoid deception, but the primary instance when it may be excused is in deceiving certain sources during undercover investigations on an issue of public importance.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
7 May 2026
Adjective
-
The question of true or false became a sensation in 1967 with the famous film shot by Roger Patterson and Bob Gimlin in the Pacific Northwest, capturing a hairy figure ambling through a Northern California wood.—
Andy Rose,
CNN Money,
8 May 2026
-
But with few details to go on, the question is whether this moment marks a genuine breakthrough, or just another false dawn.—
Lim Hui Jie,
CNBC,
7 May 2026
Verb
-
This method involves tricking an employee or person with elevated access into giving up their password.—
Marybel Rodriguez,
CBS News,
9 May 2026
-
Instead of acting independently, the forces influence one another to amplify the ion’s motion, thereby tricking the system into generating a much stronger, more complex interaction than either force could achieve alone.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
1 May 2026
Verb
-
But anyone in the auto industry who didn’t feel like something was going to happen in China five years ago was fooling themselves.—
Jamie Lincoln Kitman,
Rolling Stone,
24 Apr. 2026
-
Politicians are fooling themselves about the political power of health-conscious moms.—
Nicholas Florko,
The Atlantic,
22 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Misleading.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/misleading. Accessed 12 May. 2026.
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