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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in fraudulent
given to or marked by cheating and deception
a mail-order firm indicted for deceptive business practices
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of deceptive
Full Story American Express to pay $230M to settle deceptive marketing, fraud probe
American Express has agreed to pay $230 million to settle a federal probe into deceptive marketing practices and civil fraud allegations, the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced Thursday.
—
Aris Folley, The Hill, 16 Jan. 2025
Honolulu maintains that its case, rooted in state laws targeting deceptive marketing, deserves to proceed at the state level.
—John Mac Ghlionn, Newsweek, 13 Jan. 2025
Advertisement These suits argue that the oil producers used deceptive marketing to hide the danger of burning fossil fuels.
—David G. Savage, Los Angeles Times, 13 Jan. 2025
The Franklin County and River Valley Coalition recently accused officials of the Arkansas Development Finance Authority and a division of the building authority of being deceptive and called for an investigation.
—Alex Golden, Axios, 6 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for deceptive 
Aris Folley, The Hill, 16 Jan. 2025
Honolulu maintains that its case, rooted in state laws targeting deceptive marketing, deserves to proceed at the state level.
—John Mac Ghlionn, Newsweek, 13 Jan. 2025
Advertisement These suits argue that the oil producers used deceptive marketing to hide the danger of burning fossil fuels.
—David G. Savage, Los Angeles Times, 13 Jan. 2025
The Franklin County and River Valley Coalition recently accused officials of the Arkansas Development Finance Authority and a division of the building authority of being deceptive and called for an investigation.
—Alex Golden, Axios, 6 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for deceptive
Recent Examples of Synonyms for deceptive
Adjective
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Wakefield’s research was found to be fraudulent and conducted with money from lawyers suing vaccine manufacturers; he was stripped of his medical license.—
Eleanor Menzin,
TIME,
30 Jan. 2025
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The treasure trove of information is valuable to scammers who want to open a fraudulent credit card or account in your name.—
Ken Alltucker,
USA TODAY,
29 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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In early January, Abreu pleaded guilty in Fort Lauderdale federal court to making false statements on three applications to obtain a U.S. passport for himself and his two daughters on Oct. 2, 2021, according to his plea to an indictment.—
Jay Weaver,
Miami Herald,
31 Jan. 2025
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But Patel didn’t contradict Trump on his false claims that the 2020 election was stolen.—
Aysha Bagchi,
USA TODAY,
31 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Doe is strictly instructed by Muna not to answer her phone, while arrangements to meet a stranger on the other side to continue their journey sound shady enough even before the man fails to show up.—
Guy Lodge,
Variety,
25 Jan. 2025
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To accomplish these goals, Peter had to bend his principles, including lying to Noor, an idealistic young staffer at the Iranian UN mission, about the fate of her brother and allying with a shady businessman, Jacob Monroe.—
Nellie Andreeva,
Deadline,
24 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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However, officials may well be hoping that a high-profile prosecution would help to restore public trust by showing the authority's determination to root out dishonest officers.—
Barbara A. Perry,
Newsweek,
28 Jan. 2025
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People are less inclined to engage in dishonest behavior when they are treated fairly, compensated properly and see themselves as integral to the company’s mission.—
Toby Braun,
Forbes,
2 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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When the speedboat neared the pearly shore, a crooked line of hotel staff dressed in white and navy began to wave.—
Mary Holland,
Robb Report,
20 Jan. 2025
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Nothing could measure up to all that crooked darkness.—
Sam Thielman,
New York Times,
20 Jan. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Deceptive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/deceptive. Accessed 5 Feb. 2025.
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