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

Two other women working at Harrods say they believe the way they were brought to Monaco and the south of France to be abused by Salah would now be considered trafficking, because they were lured with deceptive offers of work and sexually exploited.

From BBC

“Too many corporations raise prices to pad the profits, charging more and more for less and less,” he said, before nodding to the Shrinkflation Prevention Act, a bill proposed by Democratic Sen. Bob Casey that seeks to “direct the Federal Trade Commission to issue regulations to establish shrinkflation as an unfair or deceptive act or practice.”

From Salon

“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

The lawsuit against Dave accuses the company of charging “express fees” of $3 to $25 and misleading customers into giving the default tip of 15% through a deceptive interface on the app that links tips to “healthy meals” for children in need — when only a fraction of the tips go to charity.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

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