deceptively
Americanadverb
-
in a way that tends to mislead or give a false impression.
This game is played with such deceptively simple materials, yet is so interestingly complex!
Some of these harmful foods are deceptively marketed as "healthy" by giant food corporations.
-
in a way that is perceptually misleading.
If only a segment of sky is visible, the bands of Earth’s shadow and the Belt of Venus appear deceptively parallel.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of deceptively
First recorded in 1810–20; deceptive ( def. ) + -ly ( def. )
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.
It’s deceptively conventional, with an axial structure and a conglomerate of relatively full chroma set against an off-white background.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 23, 2026
In this case, it wants the court to order Netflix to delete any data "deceptively collected from Texans", cease processing their data for targeted advertising and to turn auto-play off by default for children's profiles.
From BBC • May 12, 2026
But where its cinematic peers get snared by trying to elucidate the truth of the pop star, Lowery’s film skates past the conventions and trappings, landing on something high-concept but deceptively straightforward.
From Salon • Apr. 24, 2026
"They rely on highly personalised phishing emails, automatically generated malware, and synthetic identities that appear deceptively real," he said.
From Barron's • Mar. 25, 2026
But Francie, head bent deceptively over her book, was listening to Mr. McGarrity.
From "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" by Betty Smith
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.
