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
Shayna Goldman, New York Times, 9 Feb. 2026
By the end of his first term, The Washington Post had documented 30,573 false or misleading claims.
—Letters To The Editor, The Orlando Sentinel, 8 Feb. 2026
In 2017, a Meta AI research experiment was greeted with headlines that were similarly alarming—and equally misleading.
—Allie Garfinkle, Fortune, 6 Feb. 2026
Mountain views, fishing ponds, sauna The misleading name of the town aside, there’s nothing small about this property.
—Bailey Berg, Architectural Digest, 6 Feb. 2026
However, JPMorgan noted that comparing the cuts to 2009 could be misleading.
—Hannah Parker, NBC news, 5 Feb. 2026
This misleading framing solves nothing.
—Veronique De Rugy, Oc Register, 5 Feb. 2026
That can be misleading, though.
—John Wilkerson, STAT, 5 Feb. 2026
First of all, as Chris says, the description very much oversells the video and is more than a bit misleading.
—Brian Moylan, Vulture, 4 Feb. 2026
Annika Kim Constantino, CNBC, 9 Feb. 2026
There is also a federal class-action lawsuit filed by former members that accuses Gateway and Robert Morris of failing to honor promises to give 15% of donations to global missions and misleading congregants with assurances of refunds.
—Giles Hudson, CBS News, 7 Feb. 2026
Clinicians must stop misleading patients and families with scientifically unfounded claims regarding suicide.
—Torie Bosch, STAT, 7 Feb. 2026
OpenAI executives, including Sam Altman, quickly hit back and accused Anthropic’s ads of being misleading and criticized their competitor’s business model.
—Hadas Gold, CNN Money, 6 Feb. 2026
That comes amid another federal lawsuit targeting Fiserv for allegedly misleading shareholders.
—Tom Daykin, jsonline.com, 28 Jan. 2026
For Carr, the question then becomes how to get there without gaming the system in a way that’s misleading to customers.
—Alexandra Harrell, Sourcing Journal, 27 Jan. 2026
After a report filed by the Office of the Child Advocate last year recommended tightening state oversight for homeschoolers, several advocacy groups and parents are now criticizing the report as misleading and pushing a political narrative.
—Stephen Underwood, Hartford Courant, 26 Jan. 2026
On Friday, Tesla discontinued its Autopilot system, a move that arrives after California's Department of Motor Vehicles accused the company of misleading advertising and called on the automaker to correct it.
—Andrea Guzmán, Austin American Statesman, 23 Jan. 2026
Adjective
This is both obvious and a bit misleading.
—Shayna Goldman, New York Times, 9 Feb. 2026
By the end of his first term, The Washington Post had documented 30,573 false or misleading claims.
—Letters To The Editor, The Orlando Sentinel, 8 Feb. 2026
In 2017, a Meta AI research experiment was greeted with headlines that were similarly alarming—and equally misleading.
—Allie Garfinkle, Fortune, 6 Feb. 2026
Mountain views, fishing ponds, sauna The misleading name of the town aside, there’s nothing small about this property.
—Bailey Berg, Architectural Digest, 6 Feb. 2026
However, JPMorgan noted that comparing the cuts to 2009 could be misleading.
—Hannah Parker, NBC news, 5 Feb. 2026
This misleading framing solves nothing.
—Veronique De Rugy, Oc Register, 5 Feb. 2026
That can be misleading, though.
—John Wilkerson, STAT, 5 Feb. 2026
First of all, as Chris says, the description very much oversells the video and is more than a bit misleading.
—Brian Moylan, Vulture, 4 Feb. 2026
Verb
The agency requested that the drugmaker take immediate action to address the violations, which could include ceasing all ads containing misleading claims.
—Annika Kim Constantino, CNBC, 9 Feb. 2026
There is also a federal class-action lawsuit filed by former members that accuses Gateway and Robert Morris of failing to honor promises to give 15% of donations to global missions and misleading congregants with assurances of refunds.
—Giles Hudson, CBS News, 7 Feb. 2026
Clinicians must stop misleading patients and families with scientifically unfounded claims regarding suicide.
—Torie Bosch, STAT, 7 Feb. 2026
OpenAI executives, including Sam Altman, quickly hit back and accused Anthropic’s ads of being misleading and criticized their competitor’s business model.
—Hadas Gold, CNN Money, 6 Feb. 2026
That comes amid another federal lawsuit targeting Fiserv for allegedly misleading shareholders.
—Tom Daykin, jsonline.com, 28 Jan. 2026
For Carr, the question then becomes how to get there without gaming the system in a way that’s misleading to customers.
—Alexandra Harrell, Sourcing Journal, 27 Jan. 2026
After a report filed by the Office of the Child Advocate last year recommended tightening state oversight for homeschoolers, several advocacy groups and parents are now criticizing the report as misleading and pushing a political narrative.
—Stephen Underwood, Hartford Courant, 26 Jan. 2026
On Friday, Tesla discontinued its Autopilot system, a move that arrives after California's Department of Motor Vehicles accused the company of misleading advertising and called on the automaker to correct it.
—Andrea Guzmán, Austin American Statesman, 23 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for misleading
Adjective
-
This type of malware is often spread through fake software updates, malicious email attachments, compromised browser extensions or deceptive ads.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
3 Feb. 2026
-
Bright sunshine on Sunday will be deceptive as highs will only reach the low to mid-20s.—
Steven Sosna,
CBS News,
3 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Your eyes aren't deceiving you.—
Jessica Farthing,
Southern Living,
8 Feb. 2026
-
The final score is a bit deceiving, as Pittsburgh led by 18 before the Cowboys rallied near the end.—
Greg Rajan,
Houston Chronicle,
6 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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The racist imagery is strategically embedded within a larger narrative promoting false election fraud conspiracy theories, designed to dehumanize Black and brown voters as threats to democracy and to justify restricting their participation in elections.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Feb. 2026
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The Iranian shadow fleet consists of tankers and associated companies that operate outside normal commercial channels, often using false identities, ship-to-ship transfers, and deceptive documentation to hide Iranian crude and refined products.—
Claire Carter,
The Washington Examiner,
6 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Prompt injection is a method of tricking LLMs into doing things they are normally prevented from doing.—
Bruce Schneier,
IEEE Spectrum,
21 Jan. 2026
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While cold can damage plants, weather that’s too warm too soon can also have a negative effect on bulbs by tricking them into sprouting early.—
Andrea Beck,
Better Homes & Gardens,
9 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Watching Bedard break ankles on a nightly basis like Allen Iverson on skates, attempting one-man rushes most players couldn’t even fathom, fooling elite goaltenders with his patented drag-and-drive release, is exhilarating.—
Mark Lazerus,
New York Times,
3 Feb. 2026
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Anyone who says otherwise is fooling themselves.—
Dalton Ross,
Entertainment Weekly,
28 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Misleading.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/misleading. Accessed 10 Feb. 2026.
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