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
Ethan Baron, Mercury News, 27 May 2026
Job descriptions are too rigid and titles are often misleading and neither tends to truly capture what people actually do.
—Keith Ferrazzi, Forbes.com, 27 May 2026
The huge results for young artists are misleading—like those for Yu Nishimura or Joseph Yaeger.
—Daniel Cassady, ARTnews.com, 27 May 2026
That said, comparing this year’s audience numbers to previous Finals will be somewhat misleading.
—Bobby Burack Outkick, FOXNews.com, 26 May 2026
The symptoms can be misleading, though.
—Sophia Dyer, Condé Nast Traveler, 25 May 2026
Headline global inventory figures can be misleading as much of the oil stored worldwide cannot be used immediately, said Currie, Carlyle’s chief strategy officer of energy pathways and co-chairman of Abaxx Markets.
—Lee Ying Shan, CNBC, 25 May 2026
Studies focusing on nutrients in beer can be misleading, as alcohol consumption carries significant health risks.
—Maggie O'Neill, Verywell Health, 24 May 2026
The lawsuit invokes the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices-Consumer Protection Act (DTPA), which allows individuals and businesses to sue companies for false, misleading, or deceptive business practices.
—Will McCurdy, PC Magazine, 23 May 2026
ABC News, 31 May 2026
Otherwise, journalism may be perceived as misleading the audience, prompting people to turn to other sources of information that may be tainted by self-interest rather than public interest.
—Encyclopedia Britannica, 28 May 2026
But the problem isn’t just misleading math.
—Matt Peterson, CNBC, 27 May 2026
Presto Automation received an SEC fraud charge for misleading investors about its AI autonomy claims.
—Lily Mae Lazarus, Fortune, 26 May 2026
It is being updated continuously as new information comes in and has built-in quality-control features that make note of misleading data.
—Noah Lyons, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 May 2026
In 2024, a Canadian tribunal held Air Canada liable for misleading information given to a grieving customer by its chatbot, establishing that companies can be liable for what their AI tells the public.
—Jason Snyder, Forbes.com, 24 May 2026
The propaganda can range from outright lies to misleading framings of things that really did happen.
—Quinta Jurecic, The Atlantic, 21 May 2026
Many claims vastly overstate actual AI sophistication, misleading people about true capabilities, future outcomes and potential harms.
—Suvrat Dhanorkar, The Conversation, 18 May 2026
Adjective
In the case that led to the large sanction, Quinn Emanuel’s client Natera needed to show that science backed up the advertising statements its rival Guardant alleged were false and misleading, Chen noted in his order.
—Ethan Baron, Mercury News, 27 May 2026
Job descriptions are too rigid and titles are often misleading and neither tends to truly capture what people actually do.
—Keith Ferrazzi, Forbes.com, 27 May 2026
The huge results for young artists are misleading—like those for Yu Nishimura or Joseph Yaeger.
—Daniel Cassady, ARTnews.com, 27 May 2026
That said, comparing this year’s audience numbers to previous Finals will be somewhat misleading.
—Bobby Burack Outkick, FOXNews.com, 26 May 2026
The symptoms can be misleading, though.
—Sophia Dyer, Condé Nast Traveler, 25 May 2026
Headline global inventory figures can be misleading as much of the oil stored worldwide cannot be used immediately, said Currie, Carlyle’s chief strategy officer of energy pathways and co-chairman of Abaxx Markets.
—Lee Ying Shan, CNBC, 25 May 2026
Studies focusing on nutrients in beer can be misleading, as alcohol consumption carries significant health risks.
—Maggie O'Neill, Verywell Health, 24 May 2026
The lawsuit invokes the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices-Consumer Protection Act (DTPA), which allows individuals and businesses to sue companies for false, misleading, or deceptive business practices.
—Will McCurdy, PC Magazine, 23 May 2026
Verb
The following month, Murrell quit his job after two decades as SNP chief executive and took responsibility for misleading the news media about the collapse in party membership.
—ABC News, 31 May 2026
Otherwise, journalism may be perceived as misleading the audience, prompting people to turn to other sources of information that may be tainted by self-interest rather than public interest.
—Encyclopedia Britannica, 28 May 2026
But the problem isn’t just misleading math.
—Matt Peterson, CNBC, 27 May 2026
Presto Automation received an SEC fraud charge for misleading investors about its AI autonomy claims.
—Lily Mae Lazarus, Fortune, 26 May 2026
It is being updated continuously as new information comes in and has built-in quality-control features that make note of misleading data.
—Noah Lyons, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 May 2026
In 2024, a Canadian tribunal held Air Canada liable for misleading information given to a grieving customer by its chatbot, establishing that companies can be liable for what their AI tells the public.
—Jason Snyder, Forbes.com, 24 May 2026
The propaganda can range from outright lies to misleading framings of things that really did happen.
—Quinta Jurecic, The Atlantic, 21 May 2026
Many claims vastly overstate actual AI sophistication, misleading people about true capabilities, future outcomes and potential harms.
—Suvrat Dhanorkar, The Conversation, 18 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for misleading
Adjective
-
What happens when a shopping agent follows a prompt, buys from a deceptive merchant and the virtual card protects the primary account but not the customer’s time or money?—
Ron Schmelzer,
Forbes.com,
27 May 2026
-
For these commemorative watches, Aeschlimann thought white ceramic was appropriate not only because of the color, but because of the material’s deceptive toughness.—
Bloomberg,
Mercury News,
27 May 2026
Verb
-
Yet while Hiller has been seemingly everywhere on TV lately, appearances in this industry can be deceiving.—
David Canfield,
HollywoodReporter,
30 May 2026
-
The final score was deceiving because the Rockies scored five runs in the ninth off infielder Miguel Rojas, who was pitching in relief to save wear and tear on the Dodgers’ bullpen.—
Patrick Saunders,
Denver Post,
27 May 2026
Adjective
-
Today, rumors circulating on social media in the DRC include false claims that Ebola is not real, that humanitarian workers are descending on the area solely for their own profit and that aid groups are withholding the best care available.—
Gabrielle Emanuel,
NPR,
29 May 2026
-
In January, Roberts pleaded guilty to making a false statement for employment and one count of unlawfully possessing a firearm while being in the country illegally.—
Corky Siemaszko,
NBC news,
29 May 2026
Verb
-
While Matthew and Mu-won started Gojeuneok Bio together, Chang-ho has launched a cosmetics company that makes its money by tricking smaller companies into giving away the secrets behind their products.—
Kayti Burt,
Time,
29 May 2026
-
The church hosts sure love tricking us into eating raw broccoli by serving it up in this creamy pasta salad.—
Kaitlyn Yarborough,
Southern Living,
24 May 2026
Verb
-
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
-
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 3 Jun. 2026.
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