deceptive
adjective
de·cep·tive
di-ˈsep-tiv 
: 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
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
Last year, the Biden administration's Transportation Department opened an inquiry ordering American, Delta Air Lines, Southwest and United to provide records and submit reports to ensure consumers do not face unfair, deceptive, or anticompetitive practices.
—
David Shepardson, USA Today, 3 June 2025
The quest to build human-level AI agents using techniques known to produce deceptive tendencies, Bengio says, is comparable to a car speeding down a narrow mountain road, with steep cliffs on either side, and thick fog obscuring the path ahead.
—Harry Booth, Time, 3 June 2025
Matty’s Easter egg blue Lafayette 148 blazer and whimsical paw-print shirt by MNG act as a double agent, and her Clarks flats both enhance a deceptive shuffle and allow for covert, nimble movement.
—Fawnia Soo Hoo, HollywoodReporter, 28 May 2025
Telegram, with its large user base and relative anonymity, provides an ideal environment for distributing deceptive content.
—Yaamini Barathi Mohan, Forbes.com, 16 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for deceptive
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David Shepardson, USA Today, 3 June 2025
The quest to build human-level AI agents using techniques known to produce deceptive tendencies, Bengio says, is comparable to a car speeding down a narrow mountain road, with steep cliffs on either side, and thick fog obscuring the path ahead.
—Harry Booth, Time, 3 June 2025
Matty’s Easter egg blue Lafayette 148 blazer and whimsical paw-print shirt by MNG act as a double agent, and her Clarks flats both enhance a deceptive shuffle and allow for covert, nimble movement.
—Fawnia Soo Hoo, HollywoodReporter, 28 May 2025
Telegram, with its large user base and relative anonymity, provides an ideal environment for distributing deceptive content.
—Yaamini Barathi Mohan, Forbes.com, 16 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for deceptive
Cite this Entry
“Deceptive.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/deceptive. Accessed 6 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
deceptive
adjective
de·cep·tive
di-ˈsep-tiv
: tending or having power to deceive : misleading
a deceptive appearance
deceptively
adverb
deceptiveness
noun
Legal Definition
deceptive
adjective
de·cep·tive
di-ˈsep-tiv
: tending or having capacity to deceive
deceptive trade practices
compare fraudulent, misleading
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