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

Derived Forms

• deˈceptiveness, noun
• deˈceptively, adverb

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

He knows he was lucky that way; but also that appearances can be deceptive.

From The Daily Beast

“The language on the ballot is deceptive and deliberately so,” says Herron.

From The Daily Beast

Dig deeper, though, and these tactics start to look somewhat deceptive.

From The Daily Beast

Their opponents suggested that the labels, even if they were accurate, were fundamentally deceptive.

From The Daily Beast

The makers of wildly popular energy shot 5-hour Energy are being sued by three states for deceptive advertising.

From The Daily Beast

Without the former quality, knowledge of the past is uninstructive; without the latter, it is deceptive.

From Project Gutenberg

All passions are deceptive; they conceal themselves as much as possible from others and from themselves as well.

From Project Gutenberg

Below him for a hundred and fifty feet the gravel was of the same hard, deceptive consistency.

From Project Gutenberg

The boys now realized how deceptive wind and water viewed from a distance always are.

From Project Gutenberg

"Sure," grinned Stanton, with all the deceptive, undauntable optimism of the Just-Awakened.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

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