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

The information on garment labels is often inaccurate or misleading, according to new research by the European Commission. — Tamsin Blanchard, Vogue, 16 July 2026

The standout interlude is the soldiers’ visit to the island domain of Circe, a treacherous witch played with deceptive calm and a misleading air of distraction by a bone-chilling Samantha Morton. — David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 15 July 2026

However, health experts warned that statistics on the Cyclospora outbreak may be misleading. — Don Sweeney, Sacbee.com, 15 July 2026

The predictable and misleading criticism of this will be that bears are losing protection. — Andrew McKean, Outdoor Life, 15 July 2026

The government also plans to put protections in place for children interacting with AI chatbots, including regular breaks and features to prevent the tools from issuing dangerous or misleading mental health advice. — Bloomberg, Mercury News, 15 July 2026

This is one of many reasons why impressive marketing videos from robotics companies showing robots—humanoid or otherwise—performing tasks previously thought impossible can be misleading. — ArsTechnica, 13 July 2026

Others argued the prices were misleading without accounting for wages and inflation. — Kelly McGreal, FOXNews.com, 12 July 2026

Kara and Daniel Phillip, Lockport residents of 15 years, expressed similar safety concerns and beliefs that McGrew’s presentation, claiming property values would not decrease, to be misleading. — Olivia Stevens, Chicago Tribune, 9 July 2026

Verb

The industry has faced a large number of lawsuits accusing it of everything from fraudulently misleading the public to being responsible for financial damages from weather events. — ArsTechnica, 17 July 2026

The league has posted misleading graphics on their social media platforms in order to promote that view. — Ian Miller Outkick, FOXNews.com, 14 July 2026

The pool party is the latest in a string of misleading images swirling around the disappearance and death of 18-year-old Wells. — Lorena O’Neil, Rolling Stone, 13 July 2026

Without accountability, bad actors can gain an advantage through misleading claims or by ignoring standards that responsible companies follow. — Eric Reicin, Forbes.com, 10 July 2026

In a generation that promotes body positivity, Brandy Melville flies under the radar with its eye-catching branding and misleading sizes. — Sienna Feliciano, Mercury News, 9 July 2026

The new complaint accused Bojangles of failing to adequately secure employee data, misleading workers about how safe its systems were and improperly benefiting by skimping on cybersecurity. — Chase Jordan july 7, Charlotte Observer, 7 July 2026

In April Hood County Commissioner Nannette Samuelson accused Coffman and other officials of misleading the public about plans for a power plant and data center, according to previous Star-telegram reporting. — Mary Ella Hastings july 7, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 7 July 2026

The evidence-free governance theorists dangerously ignore the value of wisdom from actual experience beyond misleading abstract mathematical equations which neglect the genuine impact of leaders. — Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Fortune, 6 July 2026