deceptive

[ dih-sep-tiv ]

adjective

1. apt or tending to deceive:

   The enemy's peaceful overtures may be deceptive.

   Synonyms: specious, fallacious, delusive

2. perceptually misleading:

   It looks like a curved line, but it's deceptive.

deceptive

/ dɪˈsɛptɪv /

adjective

1. likely or designed to deceive; misleading

   appearances can be deceptive

2. music (of a cadence) another word for interrupted

Derived Forms

• deˈceptively, adverb
• deˈceptiveness, noun

Other Words From

• de·cep·tive·ly adverb
• de·cep·tive·ness noun
• non·de·cep·tive adjective
• non·de·cep·tive·ness noun
• un·de·cep·tive adjective
• un·de·cep·tive·ness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of deceptive¹

First recorded in 1605–15; from Medieval Latin dēceptīvus, equivalent to Latin dēcept(us) “deceived” ( deception ) + -īvus -ive

Example Sentences

X, the social media app owned by Elon Musk, has sued California in an attempt to block a new law requiring large online platforms to remove or label deceptive election content.

From Los Angeles Times

“Unfortunately, the FTC’s work here shows that unfair or deceptive practices are all too common.”

From Los Angeles Times

The news program has flatly denied allegations of deceptive editing to help Harris.

From Los Angeles Times

Jeffrey Rosenthal, a partner at the law firm Blank Rome and an expert in privacy law, said California law does prohibit “materially deceptive” campaign ads within 60 days of an election.

From Los Angeles Times

“My office is committed to protecting the public from deceptive business practices and holding these companies accountable for their role in the plastic pollution crisis.”

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• ambiguous
• deceitful
• disingenuous
• false
• fraudulent
• misleading
• slick
• sneaky
• subtle
• tricky
• underhanded
• unreliable

More About Deceptive

What does deceptive mean?

Deceptive means intended to or tending to deceive—to lie, mislead, or otherwise hide or distort the truth.

Deceptive is typically used to describe an action or something that deceives or is intended to deceive, as in deceptive business practices. 

The related noun deception refers to the act or practice of deceiving or being deceptive.

Being deceptive doesn’t just involve lying. It can consist of misrepresenting or omitting the truth or more complicated cover-ups. Anything that involves intentionally misleading someone is deceptive.

The word deceitful often means the same thing but is more likely to be used to describe a person, whereas deceptive is more commonly applied to actions and practices.

Deceptive can also be used to describe things that are naturally or innocently misleading to one’s perception (without someone doing the deceiving). This sense of the word is especially used in its adverb form—for example, something might be called deceptively small because it looks bigger than it is. The adjective deceiving means the same thing.

Example: The report was widely criticized for being deceptive by intentionally omitting crucial pieces of information.

Where does deceptive come from?

The first records of the word deceptive come from the early 1600s. Deceptive and related words like deception and deceive ultimately derive from the Latin verb dēcipere, meaning “to ensnare” (in the literal sense of trapping someone or an animal).

Things described as deceptive include attempts to mislead or trick someone or trap them with a deceptive scheme. Being deceptive always involves deceiving someone, but it may not involve outright lying. Some forms of deception involve concealing the truth or simply omitting the truth. Just because something didn’t use a lie doesn’t it wasn’t deceptive.

Did you know ... ?

What are some other forms related to deceptive?

• deceptively (adverb)
• deceptiveness (noun)

What are some synonyms for deceptive?

• duplicitous
• dishonest
• deceitful
• deceiving

What are some words that share a root or word element with deceptive? 

• deception
• deceive
• deceit
• deceivable

What are some words that often get used in discussing deceptive?

• practice
• behavior
• lie
• misleading
• liar
• trick

How is deceptive used in real life?

Deceptive and deceitful are often used to mean the same thing, but deceptive is less likely to be used to describe a person and more likely to describe an action or practice. Deceptive can be used in all kinds of contexts, though of course it is common in political discussion.

Well this is new: The Federal Trade Commission is investigation Steve Bannon's efforts for Cambridge Analytica–whether "he may be held individually liable for the deceptive conduct." pic.twitter.com/JhQJ2KGkKX

— Katelyn Polantz (@kpolantz) November 20, 2020

Electronic Privacy Information Center “… formally asked the District of Columbia’s attorney general to investigate the ‘unfair and deceptive’ business practices of five exam proctoring companies.” 👀👀👀 ht ⁦@douglevin⁩ https://t.co/8zQczou8sf

— abolish the elf on the shelf in your heart & head (@hypervisible) December 9, 2020

This is where point differential is a bit deceptive because they have a 27 point lead vs Dallas and 31 point lead vs Tennessee where both did some heavy window dressing. https://t.co/FKParU2rD5

— Buck (@BuckyRyan32) December 7, 2020

 

Try using deceptive!

Which of the following words is NOT a synonym of deceptive?

A. duplicitous
B . deceitful
C. descriptive
D. dishonest