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

Early voting trends and stories about how long the lines are in reliably red or blue districts are tempting to use as data points — but are notoriously misleading. — Ben Smith, semafor.com, 3 Nov. 2026

The claim featured in the ad was rated misleading, as a series of court records undercut the claim that Hamilton attempted to protect the child abuser. — Kansas City Star, 3 Nov. 2026

Martin is charged with one count of conveying false or misleading information and hoaxes and another count of mailing threatening communications. — Kathryn Watson, CBS News, 3 Nov. 2026

The study from August found that many models may avoid generating content around familiar conspiracies, but can generally be manipulated into creating misleading material. — Julia Boorstin, CNBC, 3 Nov. 2026

Several of the field’s top scientists described marketing by IFG and other clinics selling the technology to patients of advanced maternal age — 35 and older — as misleading and questioned the validity of their claims. — Megan Molteni, STAT, 2 Nov. 2026

Founding Freedoms Law Center, which launched the challenge in April, argues that lawmakers failed to follow required procedures and that the ballot language is misleading. — Gabrielle M. Etzel, The Washington Examiner, 30 Oct. 2026

An outdated schedule or an inaccurate delivery record can produce a misleading recommendation. — Nikhil Chandankhede, Forbes.com, 30 Oct. 2026

Now, amid growing awareness that many of those items never get reprocessed, the industry is championing a pair of proposals in Congress that would give misleading recycling claims the support of federal law. — Lisa Song, ProPublica, 29 Oct. 2026

Verb

The organization accused Ford’s campaign of misleading voters about its support, becoming part of a broader dispute between the candidates over law enforcement endorsements. — Claire Carter, The Washington Examiner, 4 Nov. 2026

Buelna and another candidate accused Winston of misleading the public by describing himself as an architect and an educator during the campaign when his full-time job is deputy mayor of infrastructure and climate resilience. — Andrew Khouri, Los Angeles Times, 4 Nov. 2026

In August, a Leon County judge ruled the original title and summary were misleading and contained political rhetoric, ordering them rewritten. — Sergio Candido, CBS News, 4 Nov. 2026

However, the research team realized that the powerful electron beams inside the microscope can change the structure and chemistry of sensitive battery materials, and produce misleading results. — Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 3 Nov. 2026

The amendment also allows courts to revise ballot summaries that are deemed misleading and prohibits the General Assembly from tweaking the initiative petition process. — Jack Harvel, Kansas City Star, 3 Nov. 2026

My takeaway from a decade of litigation is that Facebook has been penalized for misleading users and regulators about its data practices and its response to the Cambridge Analytica scandal. — Emma L. Briant, The Conversation, 3 Nov. 2026

Voters are increasingly turning to AI chatbots for information ahead of the midterms, yet many of the most popular ones may give misleading information about candidates and polling site opening times, according to researchers. — Katie McQue, NPR, 2 Nov. 2026

His campaign said the text messages were misleading and meant to confuse voters. — Romy Ellenbogen Herald, Miami Herald, 28 Oct. 2026