1
as in misleading
tending or having power to deceive
in his deceptive answer about the vehicle's history, the salesman said that the used car had never been hit by another car
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in fraudulent
given to or marked by cheating and deception
a mail-order firm indicted for deceptive business practices
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of deceptive
In 2017, Gibson was convicted of misleading and deceptive conduct, and the Federal Court of Australia ordered her to pay a fine of about $400,000 (Australian) or $322,000 (U.S.).
—
Olivia B. Waxman, TIME, 6 Feb. 2025
Privacy experts told ProPublica that companies that shared information with the NSSF may have violated federal and state prohibitions against deceptive and unfair business practices.
—Corey G. Johnson, ProPublica, 5 Feb. 2025
And this, too, has consequences: Americans have created the information climate that other countries must accept, and this allows deceptive election practices to thrive.
—Anne Applebaum, The Atlantic, 27 Jan. 2025
Whenever Carolyn’s name has come up in passing as a possible Traitor, it has been immediately nixed, with folks unable to believe that the Survivor finalist could ever pull off being so deceptive.
—Dalton Ross, EW.com, 3 Feb. 2025
See all Example Sentences for deceptive 
Olivia B. Waxman, TIME, 6 Feb. 2025
Privacy experts told ProPublica that companies that shared information with the NSSF may have violated federal and state prohibitions against deceptive and unfair business practices.
—Corey G. Johnson, ProPublica, 5 Feb. 2025
And this, too, has consequences: Americans have created the information climate that other countries must accept, and this allows deceptive election practices to thrive.
—Anne Applebaum, The Atlantic, 27 Jan. 2025
Whenever Carolyn’s name has come up in passing as a possible Traitor, it has been immediately nixed, with folks unable to believe that the Survivor finalist could ever pull off being so deceptive.
—Dalton Ross, EW.com, 3 Feb. 2025
See all Example Sentences for deceptive
Recent Examples of Synonyms for deceptive
Adjective
-
Often fraudulent communications claiming to be from the IRS or associated individuals can have typos or other mistakes in them, but with artificial intelligence, these communications are more sophisticated and scams can be harder to spot.—
Cheryl Winokur Munk,
CNBC,
7 Feb. 2025
-
According to Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg, at least 200 teachers were falsely certified as part of the conspiracy, via over 400 fraudulent tests, with the scheme dating back to at least May 2020.—
Yaakov Katz,
Newsweek,
7 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
Once false lashes are set, apply kohl eyeliner to line your upper waterline and a few more swipes of mascara to the inner corner for an extra pop.—
Conçetta Ciarlo,
Vogue,
11 Feb. 2025
-
There’s a lot of false symbolism and false activism, and there’s a lot of people who really capitalize on this half-baked symbolism without deliverables.—
Charisma Madarang,
Rolling Stone,
11 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
More and more people are seeing it as a chill, wellness thing rather than something shady or taboo.—
Matt Rozo,
The Mercury News,
4 Feb. 2025
-
If your yard is shady, for example, think ahead to find a plant that does not require full sun.—
Beth Botts,
Chicago Tribune,
2 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
Some people were outright hostile to his presence, perhaps because solar bros are widely stereotyped as dishonest.—
Brendan I. Koerner,
WIRED,
13 Jan. 2025
-
But the state’s Retained Risk Account does not cover any dishonest, fraudulent, criminal or malicious act, according to the document.—
Angela Palermo,
Idaho Statesman,
7 Jan. 2025
Adjective
-
That benchmark is unattainable because mankind is made of crooked timber, and our station in life is influenced by happenstances beyond our control — our parents, siblings, relatives and place of birth.—
Bruce Fein,
Baltimore Sun,
23 Jan. 2025
-
Workers reported bent rafters, crooked columns and snapped cables before the building collapsed, according to OSHA.—
Nick Rosenberger,
Idaho Statesman,
31 Jan. 2025
Articles Related to deceptive
Thesaurus Entries Near deceptive
Cite this Entry
“Deceptive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/deceptive. Accessed 21 Feb. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share