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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of misleading
Gary Franks, Hartford Courant, 3 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, 2 May 2026
That normalization can be misleading.
—Lauryn Higgins, Flow Space, 1 May 2026
Dreame’s second phone is the Aurora Lux, though calling it a single phone is a little misleading.
—Dominic Preston, The Verge, 1 May 2026
But for employers, that shorthand is misleading.
—Fennemore, Oc Register, 30 Apr. 2026
The Florida Mobile Home Act offers little real protection against excessive rent hikes or misleading practices that erode homeowners’ equity and quality of life.
—Letters To The Editor, The Orlando Sentinel, 29 Apr. 2026
Visual cues can be misleading, especially with thicker cuts.
—Jessica Safavimehr, Southern Living, 28 Apr. 2026
Fusco told the South Florida Sun Sentinel that’s misleading.
—Scott Travis, Sun Sentinel, 27 Apr. 2026
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
Despite strict labelling requirements and closer legal cooperation, misleading use of the GOTS certification claims persisted in 2025.
—Angela Velasquez, Footwear News, 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
On a federal level, there’s no blanket law requiring hotels to waive penalties for medical emergencies, but the Federal Trade Commission does monitor businesses for misleading practices.
—Christopher Elliott, Mercury News, 27 Apr. 2026
Vance’s advisers, who spoke with us on the condition of anonymity, told us that the vice president has presented his concerns as his own rather than accusing Hegseth or Caine of misleading the president.
—Michael Scherer, The Atlantic, 27 Apr. 2026
Adjective
Despite the misleading context and language, 46% of Virginians voted against the amendment.
—Gary Franks, Hartford Courant, 3 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, 2 May 2026
That normalization can be misleading.
—Lauryn Higgins, Flow Space, 1 May 2026
Dreame’s second phone is the Aurora Lux, though calling it a single phone is a little misleading.
—Dominic Preston, The Verge, 1 May 2026
But for employers, that shorthand is misleading.
—Fennemore, Oc Register, 30 Apr. 2026
The Florida Mobile Home Act offers little real protection against excessive rent hikes or misleading practices that erode homeowners’ equity and quality of life.
—Letters To The Editor, The Orlando Sentinel, 29 Apr. 2026
Visual cues can be misleading, especially with thicker cuts.
—Jessica Safavimehr, Southern Living, 28 Apr. 2026
Fusco told the South Florida Sun Sentinel that’s misleading.
—Scott Travis, Sun Sentinel, 27 Apr. 2026
Verb
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
Despite strict labelling requirements and closer legal cooperation, misleading use of the GOTS certification claims persisted in 2025.
—Angela Velasquez, Footwear News, 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
On a federal level, there’s no blanket law requiring hotels to waive penalties for medical emergencies, but the Federal Trade Commission does monitor businesses for misleading practices.
—Christopher Elliott, Mercury News, 27 Apr. 2026
Vance’s advisers, who spoke with us on the condition of anonymity, told us that the vice president has presented his concerns as his own rather than accusing Hegseth or Caine of misleading the president.
—Michael Scherer, The Atlantic, 27 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for misleading
Adjective
-
Guest reveals concerns about deceptive display.—
,
FOXNews.com,
28 Apr. 2026
-
Chicago arts venues are united in their disdain for the deceptive practice.—
Noel Brennan,
CBS News,
27 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Her The Wife nods and supports, all knowingly without deceiving the emotional truths of the narrative.—
Chris Feil,
Vulture,
1 May 2026
-
Swalwell apparently did an excellent job deceiving those around him, including some congressional and campaign staffers who’d known him for years and worked closely with the seven-term lawmaker, day in, day out.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
17 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
The boy’s mother, Tommi Jo Mejer, 50, of Aliso Viejo, was arrested days after the accident and charged with child endangerment, accessory after the fact, contributing to the delinquency of a minor and providing false information to a peace officer.—
Fedor Zarkhin,
Los Angeles Times,
1 May 2026
-
The boy’s mother, 50-year-old Tommi Jo Mejer of Aliso Viejo, was later arrested and charged with felony child endangerment, being an accessory after the fact and several misdemeanors, including contributing to the delinquency of a minor and providing false information to a peace officer.—
Sydney Barragan,
Oc Register,
1 May 2026
Verb
-
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
-
Deed theft is when a scammer steals someone's home, often by forging documents or tricking someone into signing over a deed.—
Tim McNicholas,
CBS News,
24 Apr. 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 5 May. 2026.
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