as in deceptive
tending or having power to deceive
the misleading text of the advertisement would like you to believe that you're getting something for nothing
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in deceiving
to cause to believe what is untrue
the coral snake's attractive colors can mislead you into thinking that it is harmless
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of misleading
Adrienne Roberts, Freep.com, 9 Sep. 2025
In court, government lawyers frequently made false or misleading claims about the men’s whereabouts.
—Jonathan Blitzer, New Yorker, 8 Sep. 2025
However, other social media users took to the platform to suggest the posts were purposefully misleading.
—Jasmine Laws, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Sep. 2025
But such claims are misleading, according to experts such as David DiCarlo, an associate professor in the University of Texas at Austin’s petroleum engineering school.
—ProPublica, 4 Sep. 2025
In contrast, the climate scientists described the report as grossly misleading, full of mistakes, and lacking in both substance and peer review.
—Jade Walker, CNN Money, 4 Sep. 2025
Several senators also made misleading or false statements.
—Sony Salzman, ABC News, 4 Sep. 2025
Weaknesses in internal controls increase the risk that the company’s financials are fraudulent and/or misleading.
—David Trainer, Forbes.com, 3 Sep. 2025
Many claims about apricot seeds and amygdalin are misleading.
—Stephanie Brown, Verywell Health, 2 Sep. 2025
Melissa Willets, Parents, 9 Sep. 2025
After tragedies or natural disasters, fake nonprofits or misleading crowdfunding campaigns pop up online, siphoning donations away from legitimate causes.
—Jason Phillips, USA Today, 5 Sep. 2025
In a world where images are so numerous and so difficult to understand, truth itself can be in danger, threatened by false interpretations and distorted, misleading half-truths.
—Literary Hub, 3 Sep. 2025
Researchers caution consumers to be wary of misleading advertising on cereal boxes and to check nutrition labels.
—Maggie Menderski, Louisville Courier Journal, 3 Sep. 2025
This year, many families are facing new stresses, from economic uncertainty to confusing and sometimes misleading health information.
—Brian Castrucci, Forbes.com, 3 Sep. 2025
Even the $601 Arizona savings figure cited by Finanzas Justas might be misleading in that high earners likely account for most of it.
—Russ Wiles, AZCentral.com, 29 Aug. 2025
After the federal trial, Bean, Haley and Smith were convicted of witness tampering for misleading supervisors about the beating.
—Gabe Whisnant, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 Aug. 2025
At the same time, supplement companies — along with the influencers and celebrities who promote the products — have come under criticism for making inflated, sometimes misleading claims that overstate the health benefits of their products.
—Suzy Khimm, NBC news, 26 Aug. 2025
Adjective
Overpayments can occur for many reasons, the agency said, including incorrect wage reporting, failure to meet work requirements or providing false or misleading information.
—Adrienne Roberts, Freep.com, 9 Sep. 2025
In court, government lawyers frequently made false or misleading claims about the men’s whereabouts.
—Jonathan Blitzer, New Yorker, 8 Sep. 2025
However, other social media users took to the platform to suggest the posts were purposefully misleading.
—Jasmine Laws, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Sep. 2025
But such claims are misleading, according to experts such as David DiCarlo, an associate professor in the University of Texas at Austin’s petroleum engineering school.
—ProPublica, 4 Sep. 2025
In contrast, the climate scientists described the report as grossly misleading, full of mistakes, and lacking in both substance and peer review.
—Jade Walker, CNN Money, 4 Sep. 2025
Several senators also made misleading or false statements.
—Sony Salzman, ABC News, 4 Sep. 2025
Weaknesses in internal controls increase the risk that the company’s financials are fraudulent and/or misleading.
—David Trainer, Forbes.com, 3 Sep. 2025
Many claims about apricot seeds and amygdalin are misleading.
—Stephanie Brown, Verywell Health, 2 Sep. 2025
Verb
According to Adair, marketing can link protein to misleading promises about appearance and contribute to poor self-esteem.
—Melissa Willets, Parents, 9 Sep. 2025
After tragedies or natural disasters, fake nonprofits or misleading crowdfunding campaigns pop up online, siphoning donations away from legitimate causes.
—Jason Phillips, USA Today, 5 Sep. 2025
In a world where images are so numerous and so difficult to understand, truth itself can be in danger, threatened by false interpretations and distorted, misleading half-truths.
—Literary Hub, 3 Sep. 2025
Researchers caution consumers to be wary of misleading advertising on cereal boxes and to check nutrition labels.
—Maggie Menderski, Louisville Courier Journal, 3 Sep. 2025
This year, many families are facing new stresses, from economic uncertainty to confusing and sometimes misleading health information.
—Brian Castrucci, Forbes.com, 3 Sep. 2025
Even the $601 Arizona savings figure cited by Finanzas Justas might be misleading in that high earners likely account for most of it.
—Russ Wiles, AZCentral.com, 29 Aug. 2025
After the federal trial, Bean, Haley and Smith were convicted of witness tampering for misleading supervisors about the beating.
—Gabe Whisnant, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 Aug. 2025
At the same time, supplement companies — along with the influencers and celebrities who promote the products — have come under criticism for making inflated, sometimes misleading claims that overstate the health benefits of their products.
—Suzy Khimm, NBC news, 26 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for misleading
Adjective
-
Agencies would review requests, balancing innovation against risks such as economic harm or deceptive practices.—
Paulo Carvão,
Forbes.com,
10 Sep. 2025
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There will be a temptation because of his height to draw parallels with Moyes’ use of Marouane Fellaini and Soucek, two key pillars of his Everton and West Ham sides, but where Rohl is concerned, his size can be deceptive.—
Patrick Boyland,
New York Times,
4 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Looks can be deceiving, Cali said.—
Bryan Washington,
New Yorker,
7 Sep. 2025
-
The lexicon of the wine world can be deceiving.—
Tom Mullen,
Forbes.com,
25 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
Representatives for James have called the fraud claims made against her politically motivated and false.—
Robert Faturechi,
ProPublica,
6 Sep. 2025
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On the next play, Taylor was called for a false-start penalty.—
Pete Grathoff,
Kansas City Star,
6 Sep. 2025
Verb
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What does work is tricking her into pressing a button that knocks her out.—
Keith Phipps,
Vulture,
4 Sep. 2025
-
While the Phantom Hacker attack is designed specifically to drain your bank accounts, there are plenty of variants relying on tricking you into installing dangerous software that either gives an attacker a view of your device or hijacks it completely.—
Zak Doffman,
Forbes.com,
30 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
Stop fooling yourself and listen.—
Richard B. Williams,
Denver Post,
10 Sep. 2025
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And tech companies must do far more in the design of AI systems to prevent people fooling themselves into thinking these systems are conscious beings.—
Jeremy Kahn,
Fortune,
26 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Misleading.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/misleading. Accessed 14 Sep. 2025.
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