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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Recent Examples of misleading
U T Readers, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 June 2026
Pretending that’s not going to happen is misleading and wrong.
—Gene Marks, Forbes.com, 21 June 2026
Amendment 3 is loaded with misleading and deceptive language, like a scam artist’s promise to triple your money overnight.
—Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 20 June 2026
Kiernan said people are naturally inclined to look for patterns in such events, but that tendency can be misleading without evidence.
—Thao Nguyen, USA Today, 18 June 2026
But, Feldman said after examining Hilcorp’s most recent data, that decline is artificially inflated by recent changes to the reporting rules, which make comparisons to previous years misleading.
—Alex Cuadros, ProPublica, 16 June 2026
Page filed his lawsuit in November 2020, alleging that his surveillance was unlawful because the warrant applications were false and misleading.
—Melissa Quinn, CBS News, 15 June 2026
But breast cancer specialists say that interpretation can be misleading.
—Lauryn Higgins, Flow Space, 15 June 2026
The company has denied the allegations, calling them misleading and culturally biased, and later settled with authorities in a deal that included payments and commitments to improve conditions, without admitting wrongdoing.
—Beatrice Nolan, Fortune, 15 June 2026
Serena Turner, Vanity Fair, 15 June 2026
So British officials spread the story that their pilots were eating large amounts of carrots to explain their sharp night vision, misleading the enemy into thinking diet, not technology, was behind the success.
—Samantha Agate, Charlotte Observer, 15 June 2026
Others behave like misleading traffic signs, sending confusing instructions.
—Charles J. Dimitroff, The Conversation, 12 June 2026
Chinese regulators accused leading e-commerce platforms of misleading marketing tactics ahead of 618, the country’s second-largest annual shopping bonanza.
—J.d. Capelouto, semafor.com, 11 June 2026
According to prosecutors, the couple used weekly livestream broadcasts to promote their operation, pitching false promises to thousands of viewers nationwide and drawing in victims with misleading claims designed to build trust and drive recruitment.
—Doug Myers, CBS News, 11 June 2026
The six months Tran received for pleading guilty to larceny of a firearm, misleading law enforcement in a criminal investigation, and filing an application for a license to carry containing false information were served concurrently with the federal charges.
—Colleen Cronin, Boston Herald, 7 June 2026
Last month, Superior Court Judge Gassia Apkarian found that the ads 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, 6 June 2026
Republicans raise ballot fairness concerns The National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) has also raised concerns, sending a letter to Alaska election officials arguing that similar names could violate state rules against confusing or misleading ballot designations.
—Anthony Thompson, USA Today, 4 June 2026
Adjective
This headline is so misleading.
—U T Readers, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 June 2026
Pretending that’s not going to happen is misleading and wrong.
—Gene Marks, Forbes.com, 21 June 2026
Amendment 3 is loaded with misleading and deceptive language, like a scam artist’s promise to triple your money overnight.
—Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 20 June 2026
Kiernan said people are naturally inclined to look for patterns in such events, but that tendency can be misleading without evidence.
—Thao Nguyen, USA Today, 18 June 2026
But, Feldman said after examining Hilcorp’s most recent data, that decline is artificially inflated by recent changes to the reporting rules, which make comparisons to previous years misleading.
—Alex Cuadros, ProPublica, 16 June 2026
Page filed his lawsuit in November 2020, alleging that his surveillance was unlawful because the warrant applications were false and misleading.
—Melissa Quinn, CBS News, 15 June 2026
But breast cancer specialists say that interpretation can be misleading.
—Lauryn Higgins, Flow Space, 15 June 2026
The company has denied the allegations, calling them misleading and culturally biased, and later settled with authorities in a deal that included payments and commitments to improve conditions, without admitting wrongdoing.
—Beatrice Nolan, Fortune, 15 June 2026
Verb
Two months after the festival collapsed, McFarland was charged with federal wire fraud for misleading investors about Fyre Festival’s finances.
—Serena Turner, Vanity Fair, 15 June 2026
So British officials spread the story that their pilots were eating large amounts of carrots to explain their sharp night vision, misleading the enemy into thinking diet, not technology, was behind the success.
—Samantha Agate, Charlotte Observer, 15 June 2026
Others behave like misleading traffic signs, sending confusing instructions.
—Charles J. Dimitroff, The Conversation, 12 June 2026
Chinese regulators accused leading e-commerce platforms of misleading marketing tactics ahead of 618, the country’s second-largest annual shopping bonanza.
—J.d. Capelouto, semafor.com, 11 June 2026
According to prosecutors, the couple used weekly livestream broadcasts to promote their operation, pitching false promises to thousands of viewers nationwide and drawing in victims with misleading claims designed to build trust and drive recruitment.
—Doug Myers, CBS News, 11 June 2026
The six months Tran received for pleading guilty to larceny of a firearm, misleading law enforcement in a criminal investigation, and filing an application for a license to carry containing false information were served concurrently with the federal charges.
—Colleen Cronin, Boston Herald, 7 June 2026
Last month, Superior Court Judge Gassia Apkarian found that the ads 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, 6 June 2026
Republicans raise ballot fairness concerns The National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) has also raised concerns, sending a letter to Alaska election officials arguing that similar names could violate state rules against confusing or misleading ballot designations.
—Anthony Thompson, USA Today, 4 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for misleading
Adjective
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The suit alleges the group, known widely as WPATH, made deceptive claims about gender-affirming care for minors and that its members profited off the claims.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
17 June 2026
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Grand Canyon’s rim-to-river routes can be deceptive because the steepest physical test comes on the way out, after hikers have descended into hotter terrain, experts say.—
Jessica Mekles,
FOXNews.com,
15 June 2026
Verb
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But O’Malley writes that this is deceiving.—
Livia Gershon,
JSTOR Daily,
9 June 2026
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He was also accused of deceiving escrow agents to secure the release of pre-construction condo deposits and then misappropriated those funds for personal expenses unrelated to the developments.—
Jay Weaver
June 6,
Miami Herald,
6 June 2026
Adjective
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According to the department, at the time of the chase, Buban had multiple outstanding arrest warrants against him, including for being a felon in possession of a firearm, taking a vehicle without consent, false impersonation and petty theft.—
Kassia Bonesteel,
CBS News,
19 June 2026
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According to Peña, a producer relayed the false information to her through an earpiece during a live broadcast.—
Nicole Acevedo,
NBC news,
19 June 2026
Verb
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The schemes involve a predator pretending to be a teenager online and tricking victims into sending illicit photos of themselves.—
Sarah N. Lynch,
CBS News,
17 June 2026
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Such techniques typically work by tricking the user into approving a request to approve a device owned by the attacker instead.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
3 June 2026
Verb
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The other is fooling humans, particularly the dwindling number of journalists, critics, and other gatekeepers who are still capable of conferring legitimacy by paying attention.—
Lane Brown,
Vulture,
15 May 2026
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After killing Minnesota’s first power play, the Avalanche opened the scoring when defenseman Sam Malinski scored his first career playoff goal, fooling Wallstedt with a rising wrist shot.—
Jess Myers,
Twin Cities,
4 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Misleading.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/misleading. Accessed 23 Jun. 2026.
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