deceptive

adjective

de·​cep·​tive di-ˈsep-tiv How to pronounce deceptive (audio)
Synonyms of deceptive
: tending or having power to cause someone to accept as true or valid what is false or invalid : tending or having power to deceive
a deceptive appearance
a pitcher with a deceptive windup
deceptively adverb
deceptiveness noun

Synonyms of deceptive

Relevance
See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

Examples of deceptive in a Sentence

in his deceptive answer about the vehicle's history, the salesman said that the used car had never been hit by another car a mail-order firm indicted for deceptive business practices
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
The county attorney presented a plan to sue several big pharma companies for the deceptive marketing practices that triggered the opioid epidemic, following the pattern established by lawsuits filed against tobacco companies starting in the 1990s. — Guthrie Scrimgeour, Rolling Stone, 2 Aug. 2026 Outside companies can test systems for cybersecurity risks, deceptive behavior, privacy failures, bias and dangerous capabilities. — Gerui Wang, Forbes.com, 1 Aug. 2026 The 11th hole at Mystic Rock at Nemacolin Woodlands offers a variety of trouble off of the tee with a deceptive view of the green. — Mike Darnay, CBS News, 31 July 2026 Some campaigns use other processors, so an unfamiliar payment provider alone does not prove the page is deceptive. — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 30 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for deceptive

Word History

Etymology

see deception

First Known Use

circa 1611, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of deceptive was circa 1611

Phrases Containing deceptive

Rhymes for deceptive

See All Rhymes for deceptive

Browse Nearby Words

deceptious
deceptive
deceptive cadence
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Deceptive.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/deceptive. Accessed 5 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

deceptive

adjective
de·​cep·​tive di-ˈsep-tiv How to pronounce deceptive (audio)
: tending or having power to deceive : misleading
a deceptive appearance
deceptively adverb
deceptiveness noun

Legal Definition

deceptive

adjective
de·​cep·​tive di-ˈsep-tiv How to pronounce deceptive (audio)
: tending or having capacity to deceive
deceptive trade practices
compare fraudulent, misleading

More from Merriam-Webster on deceptive

Nglish: Translation of deceptive for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

'Sneaked' or 'Snuck': Which is correct?

Why does English have so many silent letters?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

How long is a jiffy?

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)
See More

Popular

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
asap street sign
Figure Out These Acronyms ASAP You don't have to be a NASA engineer to get these...
See All