as in misleading
tending or having power to deceive
the deceiving nature of most flat maps of the globe causes some people to believe erroneously that Greenland is actually bigger than South America
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in tricking
to cause to believe what is untrue
he went to great lengths to deceive his family about the nature of his new job at the mall
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of deceiving
Fran Ruiz, Space.com, 19 Dec. 2025
Few things in life are more deceiving than a Week 1 game, especially those played in a rainstorm on the other side of an ocean.
—Stewart Mandel, New York Times, 27 Aug. 2025
Jessica Farthing, Southern Living, 8 Feb. 2026
The final score is a bit deceiving, as Pittsburgh led by 18 before the Cowboys rallied near the end.
—Greg Rajan, Houston Chronicle, 6 Feb. 2026
Planned Parenthood is not the only nonprofit that is accused of deceiving the public that way.
—Naomi Cahn, The Conversation, 6 Feb. 2026
Odin, the All-Father, is not physically imposing or particularly god-like, but looks can be deceiving.
—Rosy Cordero, Deadline, 29 Jan. 2026
Although appearances can be deceiving.
—Frank Scheck, HollywoodReporter, 26 Jan. 2026
Ah, but appearances can be deceiving.
—Jim Harrington, Mercury News, 26 Jan. 2026
Prosecutors said Alston played a key role in deceiving DCA.
—Cbs News Atlanta Digital Team, CBS News, 14 Jan. 2026
That level of eye-deceiving detail falters in wide shots, however, some of which suffer from unflattering flat lighting that in certain instances recall computer screensavers of yore, given their colorful artificiality.
—Carlos Aguilar, Variety, 30 Dec. 2025
Adjective
In our experience, these mid-sized sets can be very deceiving.
—Fran Ruiz, Space.com, 19 Dec. 2025
Few things in life are more deceiving than a Week 1 game, especially those played in a rainstorm on the other side of an ocean.
—Stewart Mandel, New York Times, 27 Aug. 2025
Verb
Your eyes aren't deceiving you.
—Jessica Farthing, Southern Living, 8 Feb. 2026
The final score is a bit deceiving, as Pittsburgh led by 18 before the Cowboys rallied near the end.
—Greg Rajan, Houston Chronicle, 6 Feb. 2026
Planned Parenthood is not the only nonprofit that is accused of deceiving the public that way.
—Naomi Cahn, The Conversation, 6 Feb. 2026
Odin, the All-Father, is not physically imposing or particularly god-like, but looks can be deceiving.
—Rosy Cordero, Deadline, 29 Jan. 2026
Although appearances can be deceiving.
—Frank Scheck, HollywoodReporter, 26 Jan. 2026
Ah, but appearances can be deceiving.
—Jim Harrington, Mercury News, 26 Jan. 2026
Prosecutors said Alston played a key role in deceiving DCA.
—Cbs News Atlanta Digital Team, CBS News, 14 Jan. 2026
That level of eye-deceiving detail falters in wide shots, however, some of which suffer from unflattering flat lighting that in certain instances recall computer screensavers of yore, given their colorful artificiality.
—Carlos Aguilar, Variety, 30 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for deceiving
Adjective
-
This is both obvious and a bit misleading.—
Shayna Goldman,
New York Times,
9 Feb. 2026
-
By the end of his first term, The Washington Post had documented 30,573 false or misleading claims.—
Letters to the Editor,
The Orlando Sentinel,
8 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Prompt injection is a method of tricking LLMs into doing things they are normally prevented from doing.—
Bruce Schneier,
IEEE Spectrum,
21 Jan. 2026
-
While cold can damage plants, weather that’s too warm too soon can also have a negative effect on bulbs by tricking them into sprouting early.—
Andrea Beck,
Better Homes & Gardens,
9 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Savings are only on brand names, which can be deceptive when comparing prices.—
Tom Gavin,
EverydayHealth.com,
10 Feb. 2026
-
Novo has so far filed around 130 lawsuits dealing with deceptive marketing practices and consumer fraud, Kuckelman said.—
Annika Kim Constantino,
CNBC,
9 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Indeed, depth would only get in the way of the plot, which is primarily concerned with fooling you and fooling you again.—
Television Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
7 Feb. 2026
-
Watching Bedard break ankles on a nightly basis like Allen Iverson on skates, attempting one-man rushes most players couldn’t even fathom, fooling elite goaltenders with his patented drag-and-drive release, is exhilarating.—
Mark Lazerus,
New York Times,
3 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Authorities did not provide additional details about the agents' apparently false statements.—
Nicole Acevedo,
NBC news,
13 Feb. 2026
-
Nevertheless, Worden continued to promote the false claim to news outlets and hired a media consultant to amplify it, the documents said.—
Marc Ramirez,
USA Today,
13 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Deceiving.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/deceiving. Accessed 16 Feb. 2026.
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