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

Martin suggested that other Republicans are circulating equally misleading mailers, but that the party is targeting DeMaio. —Andrew Graham may 15, Sacbee.com, 16 May 2026

The show has already done these misleading posters, including one where Homelander floats in space, watching nukes go off on Earth below. —Paul Tassi, Forbes.com, 16 May 2026

But these chatbots can also provide misleading or inaccurate advice, so experts urge caution when using them. —Cody Cottier, Scientific American, 15 May 2026

The platform is designed to detect and interpret potential scam signals across digital conversations, offering users real-time insight into whether a message may be misleading or manipulative. —Lyssanoel Frater, USA Today, 14 May 2026

Sports and sports fandom can give us a misleading idea of race and equality. —Miami Herald, 14 May 2026

Last week, Infantino made other defenses of the strategy, including a misleading comparison to NCAA football. —Eben Novy-Williams, Sportico.com, 13 May 2026

Others are based on false or misleading information. —Ilana Kaplan, PEOPLE, 13 May 2026

Downsides to Consider The viral name isn’t misleading. —Kathleen Ferraro, Verywell Health, 13 May 2026

Verb

Apkarian found that the ads, which have been on the airwaves for more than 20 years, violated California’s false advertising law by disseminating public statements about the disposal of property — specifically vehicle donations — that were misleading by omission. —Francie Ebert, NBC news, 18 May 2026

False and misleading information online has led some parents to believe the shot is harmful. —Duaa Eldeib, ProPublica, 18 May 2026

Partly correct on raw land use — but misleading in practice. —James Ward, USA Today, 15 May 2026

Federal prosecutors later charged Boeing with misleading regulators about the Max’s flight-control system, though in November, the federal judge in Texas overseeing the long-running criminal case approved a Justice Department request to dismiss it. —Rio Yamat, Fortune, 15 May 2026

His tenure was filled with the announcement of dozens of new and ambitious initiatives, including efforts to shorten drug review timelines, crack down on misleading ads, and pressure the food industry to remove chemical dyes. —Ed Silverman, STAT, 13 May 2026

Musk accused Savitt of lying, asking misleading questions and questions that were designed to trick him. —Ashley Capoot, CNBC, 12 May 2026

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

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