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
• ambiguous
• deceiving
• deceitful
• inaccurate
• specious
• fallacious
• delusive
• beguiling
• fraudulent
• delusory
• deluding
• subtle
• crooked
• dishonest
• puzzling
• perplexing
• wrong
• trick
• cunning
• lying
• tricky
• confounding
• untruthful
• distracting
• slick
• sneaky
• mendacious
• treacherous
• wily
• untrustworthy
• shifty
• artful
• underhanded
• duplicitous
• shady
• artificial
• counterfeit
• crafty
• sly
• bewildering
• foxy
• subtile
• fake
• devious
• bogus
• spurious
• forged
• insidious
• underhand
• evasive
• faithless
• trickish
• hypocritical
• perfidious
• guileful
• equivocal
• insincere
• phony
• sham
• feigned
• dissembling
• ambidextrous
• defrauding
• knavish
• jive
• circuitous
• sneaking
• fast
• backhanded
• 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

Spanish officials have blamed traffickers for spreading similar misleading information, and there is a growing suspicion that Moroccan authorities initially failed to stop the crowds, intentionally allowing the surge to grow. — Conor Murray, Forbes.com, 31 July 2026

Pruitt’s interest in opera is genuine, but the flourish is misleading. — Carson Griffith, New Yorker, 30 July 2026

In defending the Islamic Republic, Blumenthal made one false or misleading assertion after another. — James Kirchick, The Atlantic, 29 July 2026

The court found that investors had plausibly alleged that certain statements about the trial design could have been misleading. — Elsa Ohlen, CNBC, 29 July 2026

However, we are disturbed by a misleading and damaging narrative regarding student outcomes that persists in this coverage. — Elaine Gantz Berman, Denver Post, 27 July 2026

He has been charged in Pierce County with nine counts of unlawful recreational fishing in the second degree and one count of making a false or misleading statement to a public servant. — Brie Stimson, FOXNews.com, 26 July 2026

Novo Nordisk, maker of the anti-obesity medication Wegovy, is suing Eli Lilly, maker of the rival drug Zepbound, accusing it of false and misleading advertising. — Robert Abitbol, USA Today, 25 July 2026

This result could be misleading, though, because gas taxes and other user fees only cover about half of state and local road spending on average. — Editorial Board, Washington Post, 24 July 2026

Verb

Pirro now accuses he Interior Department of misleading prosecutors on key facts, including that the Department withheld evidence that the lining had begun to peel within two days of the project’s completion. — Greg Evans, Deadline, 1 Aug. 2026

That same year, The New York Times and The Washington Post printed the Pentagon Papers, revealing that the government had been misleading Americans for years regarding Vietnam. — Heather Hendershot, The Conversation, 31 July 2026

This combination of misleading content and hikers unaware of factors like weather, technical clothing and time needed to complete a hike could be behind the rise in rescue call-outs. — Lea Tran, TheWeek, 30 July 2026

This month, a bipartisan commission in Pennsylvania issued a report calling for quick action to address the gambling industry’s negative practices, including misleading marketing. — The Christian Science Monitor, Christian Science Monitor, 27 July 2026

Plaintiffs alleged some advertised promotions continued beyond those deadlines, making the subject lines misleading under Washington law. — Anthony Thompson, USA Today, 24 July 2026

The president’s economic narrative—eggs down, oil coming down, stocks up, 401(k)s flush—is accurate in pieces and misleading in sum. — Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 23 July 2026

Daniel Heuer | Bloomberg | Getty Images Knowingly lying to or misleading Congress could be a crime. — Garrett Downs, CNBC, 23 July 2026

As the battle for dominance in the growing GLP-1 industry continues, Novo Nordisk, which makes Ozempic, sued Eli Lilly on Tuesday, accusing the drugmaker of misleading advertising. — Danielle Chemtob, Forbes.com, 22 July 2026