misleading

[mis-lee-ding]

adjective

1. deceptive; tending to mislead.

Other Word Forms

• misleadingly adverb
• misleadingness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of misleading¹

First recorded in 1630–40; mislead + -ing ²

Example Sentences

Investors rely on the filings to inform their decisions, and false or misleading statements can create both civil and criminal liability.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

But the viral claim that it’s 17-times larger than the dot-com crash is misleading.

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Although the military government has not given a reason for the expulsions, it has previously accused aid groups of breaking local laws and releasing misleading reports on famine conditions.

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He hasn’t read the fine print—or is misleading his members.

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That exit was followed by a blistering statement from major shareholder Dermot Desmond, who described Rodgers' actions while in the job as "divisive, misleading, and self-serving".

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Related Words

• ambiguous 
• deceitful 
• disingenuous 
• evasive 
• false 
• inaccurate 
• puzzling 
• wrong