deceivable
AmericanUsage
What does deceivable mean? Deceivable means easily deceived—misled, cheated, or otherwise convinced of something that is not the truth. The word gullible means the same thing. The word is typically used to describe people who are lied to without knowing that they have been lied to—or people who are easily tricked into believing things that are not true. Con artists and scammers prey on deceivable people, whom they might call suckers or easy marks. Example: If a person doesn’t have a strong foundation in critical thinking, it’s likely that they are very deceivable.
Other Word Forms
- nondeceivable adjective
Etymology
Origin of deceivable
Middle English word dating back to 1350–1400; see origin at deceive, able
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The next point was to persuade that royal and most deceivable individual that he had entertained an earnest desire to see Richard married to a Princess of Savoy, a cousin of the Queen.
From Earl Hubert's Daughter The Polishing of the Pearl - A Tale of the 13th Century by Holt, Emily Sarah
Then withal, I desire you to study how deceivable a thing sin is,—how many deceitful fair pretences it is covered with.
From The Works of the Rev. Hugh Binning by Binning, Hugh
"O soden hap, O thou fortune unstable, Like to the scorpion so deceivable, That flatrest with thy hed whan thou wilt sting."
From Proverb Lore Many sayings, wise or otherwise, on many subjects, gleaned from many sources by Hulme, F. Edward (Frederick Edward)
I am confident that most if not all the miscarriages of the saints and people of God have their rise from deceivable thoughts here.
From The Riches of Bunyan Selected from His Works by Bunyan, John
Therefore it is good to consider of deformity, not as a sign, which is more deceivable; but as a cause, which seldom faileth of the effect.
From The Essays of Francis Bacon by Bacon, Francis
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
