Deceptive — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

adjective /di-ˈsep-tiv/ de·cep·tive

Meaning & Definition of Deceptive

Deceptive (adjective)

  1. tending or having power to cause someone to accept as true or valid what is false or invalid, tending or having power to deceive

Deceptive (adjective) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. tending or having power to deceive

    "in his deceptive answer about the vehicle's history, the salesman said that the used car had never been hit by another car"

    similar: beguiling, deceitful, deceiving, deluding, delusive, delusory, fallacious, false, misleading, specious
    related: artful, crafty, cunning, devious, foxy, guileful, shady, shifty, slick, sly, sneaking, sneaky, subtile, subtle, trick, trickish, tricky, underhand, underhanded, wily, inaccurate, incorrect, wrong, bewildering, confounding, distracting, perplexing, puzzling, ambidextrous, crooked, defrauding, dishonest, dissembling, double-dealing, duplicitous, faithless, fast, fraudulent, knavish, lying, mendacious, untrustworthy, untruthful, bogus, counterfeit, fake, feigned, forged, jive (slang), phony, sham, spurious, insidious, perfidious, treacherous, ambiguous, circuitous, equivocal, evasive, artificial, backhanded, hypocritical, insincere, left-handed, two-faced
    opposite: aboveboard, forthright, nondeceptive, straightforward
    near: candid, direct, foursquare, frank, free-spoken, open, openhearted, outspoken, plain, plainspoken, straight, clarifying, elucidative, explanatory, illuminating, revealing, revelatory, honest, trustworthy, truthful

  2. given to or marked by cheating and deception

    "a mail-order firm indicted for deceptive business practices"

    similar: bent (chiefly British), crooked, dishonest, double-dealing, duplicitous, fast, fraudulent, guileful, rogue, shady, sharp, shifty, underhand, underhanded
    related: unconscionable, unethical, unprincipled, unscrupulous, deceitful, deceiving, deluding, delusive, delusory, false, artful, beguiling, cagey, crafty, cunning, foxy, slick, sly, subtle, wily, defrauding, devious, furtive, slippery, sneaking, sneaky, trickish, tricky, insidious, perfidious, treacherous
    opposite: aboveboard, honest, straight
    near: conscientious, decent, ethical, honorable, just, scrupulous, upright, forthright, straightforward

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Deceptive

The most common words with a similar meaning to Deceptive:

Chiefly British: bent
beguiling, deceitful, deceiving, deluding, delusive, delusory, fallacious, false, misleading, specious, crooked, dishonest, double-dealing, duplicitous, fast, fraudulent, guileful, rogue, shady, sharp, shifty, underhand, underhanded

Antonyms & Opposite Words for Deceptive

Words with the opposite meaning of Deceptive:

aboveboard, forthright, nondeceptive, straightforward, honest, straight

Related Words for Deceptive

artful, crafty, cunning, devious, foxy, slick, sly, sneaking, sneaky, subtile, subtle, trick, trickish, tricky, wily, inaccurate, incorrect, wrong, bewildering, confounding, distracting, perplexing, puzzling, ambidextrous, defrauding, dissembling, faithless, knavish, lying, mendacious

Near Antonyms of Deceptive

candid, direct, foursquare, frank, free-spoken, open, openhearted, outspoken, plain, plainspoken, clarifying, elucidative, explanatory, illuminating, revealing, revelatory, trustworthy, truthful, conscientious, decent, ethical, honorable, just, scrupulous, upright

Word Forms of Deceptive

Derived words: deceptively (adverb), deceptiveness (noun)

Origin & Etymology of Deceptive

First known use: circa 1611

Words & Phrases Containing Deceptive

looks can be deceiving/deceptive

Frequently Asked Questions about Deceptive

What does "Deceptive" mean?

"Deceptive" means tending or having power to cause someone to accept as true or valid what is false or invalid, tending or having power to deceive. As an adjective, it is defined as: tending or having power to cause someone to accept as true or valid what is false or invalid, tending or having power to deceive. It has 2 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Deceptive"?

Other words for "Deceptive" include beguiling, deceitful, deceiving, deluding, delusive, delusory, fallacious and false. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Deceptive" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Deceptive"?

There are 85 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Deceptive". Common alternatives include beguiling, deceitful, deceiving, deluding, delusive, delusory, fallacious, false, misleading and specious.

What is the opposite of "Deceptive"?

Antonyms of "Deceptive" include aboveboard, forthright, nondeceptive, straightforward, honest and straight. Near antonyms include candid, direct, foursquare and frank.

How do you use "Deceptive" in a sentence?

Examples of "Deceptive" in a sentence: "in his deceptive answer about the vehicle's history, the salesman said that the used car had never been hit by another car"; "a mail-order firm indicted for deceptive business practices".

Is "Deceptive" a noun, verb, or adjective?

"Deceptive" is an adjective.

How do you pronounce "Deceptive"?

"Deceptive" is pronounced /di-ˈsep-tiv/ and divided into syllables as de·cep·tive.

What is the origin of the word "Deceptive"?

First known use: circa 1611.