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

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

The Idaho Consumer Protection Act, enacted in 1971, protects consumers from false, deceptive or misleading representations, advertising, pricing and contracts. — Harllie Stevenson, Idaho Statesman, 14 Oct. 2026

Gersten and the current Rickenbacker Marina operator, led by Melwani, sued the city and the elections department soon after, alleging that the language on the ballot was misleading, among other things. — Miami Herald, 14 Oct. 2026

Reporting has confirmed that the ad, which features an adult from Texas rather than Ohio, is factually inaccurate and misleading. — Dorian Rhea Debussy, The Conversation, 12 Oct. 2026

Minnesota only managed 15 points against the Dolphins last week, but that's a bit misleading. — Dan Zaksheske Outkick, FOXNews.com, 8 Oct. 2026

The women, many of whom were first-time surrogates, say they were given misleading or incomplete information about the couple’s family situation and intentions. — ABC News, 6 Oct. 2026

California’s existing prohibition on false or misleading environmental marketing remains in place, meaning apparel companies still face requirements to make truthful claims even without the bill’s additional verification framework. — Alexandra Harrell, Footwear News, 5 Oct. 2026

Black, who is a vice president at a software development company, is aware that chatbots sometimes hallucinate — that's when chatbots respond to prompts with false, misleading or fabricated answers. — Maham Javaid, NPR, 5 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