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

These limitations could easily produce an analysis that is misleading or inaccurate. — Euan Ashley, STAT, 1 Oct. 2026

As Congress debated the legislation in May 2025, the White House put out a news release with the misleading claim that the One Big Beautiful Bill Act would remove Medicaid coverage for people who are in the country without authorization. — Phil Galewitz, Miami Herald, 30 Sep. 2026

By comparison, strong fluid flows elongated the cells and caused DNA damage, a crucial control detail that explains why past experiments might have yielded misleading results. — Stefanie Waldek, Space.com, 29 Sep. 2026

Locus said this can be misleading, as the static delivery time frame does not take into account the warehousing, carrier and local delivery operations. — Arthur Zaczkiewicz, Footwear News, 25 Sep. 2026

This metric is a little misleading—most bills that get introduced never go anywhere—and the claim tends to irritate Collins’s critics. — Emma Green, New Yorker, 25 Sep. 2026

The final answer may cite real sources and still be misleading. — Patrick Dajos, Forbes.com, 23 Sep. 2026

Providing false or misleading information to law enforcement undermines those efforts and unnecessarily diverts officers and resources away from members of our community who may need immediate police assistance. — Brie Stimson, FOXNews.com, 19 Sep. 2026

Omar has dismissed allegations about her finances as misleading and rooted in conspiracy theories. — Wcco Staff, CBS News, 9 Sep. 2026

Verb

Hanaway said in a statement that the Attorney General’s Office takes misleading solicitation seriously. — Kendrick Calfee, Kansas City Star, 24 Sep. 2026

Lembke encouraged parents to get ahead of the issue by talking openly about drugs before their children encounter inaccurate or misleading information on social media. — James Cirrone, FOXNews.com, 24 Sep. 2026

European Commission services said in June guidance that claims made through sustainability labels remain subject to other rules barring misleading commercial practices. — Alexandra Harrell, Footwear News, 21 Sep. 2026

Strekow, 24, has been charged or sued three times over his practices, including one case that resulted in a conviction for misleading a buyer while signing documents. — Steven Martinez, jsonline.com, 20 Sep. 2026

But Question 3 is written in intentionally misleading language so as to trick the voters into giving up their vested rights to free elections. — Chris West, Baltimore Sun, 19 Sep. 2026

What’s bothered me, though, is how its backers have anchored their messaging around a lot of misleading generalizations about the state of college sports. — Stewart Mandel, New York Times, 14 Sep. 2026

At that public meeting, several parents said Adams should have been fired for misleading them and misrepresenting the condition of the Earl Warren ATP facilities. — Marsha Sutton, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Sep. 2026

The lawsuit accused the tech company of designing and deploying harmful features while misleading the public about them. — Queenie Wong, Los Angeles Times, 10 Sep. 2026