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
Los Angeles Times, 17 Apr. 2026
The Mets have a responsibility to protect their players by not throwing them under the bus, but there are ways to do that without trying to convince people that their eyes are deceiving them.
—Abbey Mastracco, New York Daily News, 16 Apr. 2026
But appearances can be deceiving, Lynette’s family maintains.
—Janelle Griffith, PEOPLE, 14 Apr. 2026
Through the window, the lack of visible trees suggested a barren landscape, but looks are deceiving.
—Quanta Magazine, 6 Apr. 2026
The specifications on the Neo can be deceiving.
—Dwight Silverman, Houston Chronicle, 28 Mar. 2026
Keep cool, as temperatures may be deceiving National Weather Service meteorologist Katherine Berislavich said overnight lows typically drop into the upper 60s this time of year but can rise quickly by morning.
—Jose R. Gonzalez, AZCentral.com, 22 Mar. 2026
Theoretically, a batter who hits half of his balls into the ground and pops up the other half could have an ideal average launch angle, which, of course, would be deceiving.
—John Laghezza, New York Times, 19 Mar. 2026
Nope, that's not your eyes deceiving you.
—Christina Perrier, InStyle, 15 Mar. 2026
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
Swalwell apparently did an excellent job deceiving those around him, including some congressional and campaign staffers who’d known him for years and worked closely with the seven-term lawmaker, day in, day out.
—Los Angeles Times, 17 Apr. 2026
The Mets have a responsibility to protect their players by not throwing them under the bus, but there are ways to do that without trying to convince people that their eyes are deceiving them.
—Abbey Mastracco, New York Daily News, 16 Apr. 2026
But appearances can be deceiving, Lynette’s family maintains.
—Janelle Griffith, PEOPLE, 14 Apr. 2026
Through the window, the lack of visible trees suggested a barren landscape, but looks are deceiving.
—Quanta Magazine, 6 Apr. 2026
The specifications on the Neo can be deceiving.
—Dwight Silverman, Houston Chronicle, 28 Mar. 2026
Keep cool, as temperatures may be deceiving National Weather Service meteorologist Katherine Berislavich said overnight lows typically drop into the upper 60s this time of year but can rise quickly by morning.
—Jose R. Gonzalez, AZCentral.com, 22 Mar. 2026
Theoretically, a batter who hits half of his balls into the ground and pops up the other half could have an ideal average launch angle, which, of course, would be deceiving.
—John Laghezza, New York Times, 19 Mar. 2026
Nope, that's not your eyes deceiving you.
—Christina Perrier, InStyle, 15 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for deceiving
Adjective
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However, he was later granted a new trial after a judge ruled that star witness Duane Deaver, a State Bureau of Investigation crime lab agent, provided misleading and false testimony, per WRAL.—
Caroline Blair,
PEOPLE,
26 Apr. 2026
-
The Cass County Emergency Services Board, National Weather Service and Everbridge are investigating the cause of the misleading notifications.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
25 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Deed theft is when a scammer steals someone's home, often by forging documents or tricking someone into signing over a deed.—
Tim McNicholas,
CBS News,
24 Apr. 2026
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After tricking her way into her dream job, Liza discovers that disguising herself as a millennial and keeping her two lives separate is a job in and of itself.—
Andrew Walsh,
Entertainment Weekly,
5 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Guest reveals concerns about deceptive display.—
,
FOXNews.com,
28 Apr. 2026
-
Chicago arts venues are united in their disdain for the deceptive practice.—
Noel Brennan,
CBS News,
27 Apr. 2026
Verb
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But anyone in the auto industry who didn’t feel like something was going to happen in China five years ago was fooling themselves.—
Jamie Lincoln Kitman,
Rolling Stone,
24 Apr. 2026
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Politicians are fooling themselves about the political power of health-conscious moms.—
Nicholas Florko,
The Atlantic,
22 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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But that confidence could harbor false hope, says Kelly Richardson, principal of Richardson Ober LLP, a California law firm known for offering community association advice, and a monthly contributing writer to the Southern California News Group.—
Amancai Biraben,
Oc Register,
24 Apr. 2026
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The indictment also charges Meade and West each with one count of conspiracy to obstruct and defeat the Internal Revenue Service, five counts of attempts to interfere with administration of internal revenue laws and seven counts of aiding or assisting the filing of false documents, officials said.—
Justin Muszynski,
Hartford Courant,
24 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Deceiving.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/deceiving. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
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