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Definitions

deceptive

[dih-sep-tiv] / dɪˈsɛp tɪv /
ADJECTIVE
dishonest
Synonyms
STRONGEST
ambiguous deceitful disingenuous false fraudulent misleading slick sneaky subtle tricky underhanded unreliable
WEAK
astucious beguiling bum catchy crafty cunning deceiving deluding delusive delusory designing fake fallacious fishy foxy illusory imposturous indirect insidious lying mock oblique off phony plausible rascal roguish scheming seeming serpentine shifty slippery sly snide specious spurious treacherous two-faced underhand wily
Antonyms
STRONGEST
aboveboard forthright frank genuine honest open real reliable sincere true trustworthy truthful valid
WEAK
upright

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.

Claude maker Anthropic attacked the company’s ads test in ChatGPT with a Super Bowl commercial that Altman called “funny” but deceptive.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 2, 2026

Any ebbing of drone strikes could be deceptive, with Iran amassing them for another swarming assault.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 18, 2026

"Meta must do more to address the proliferation of deceptive AI-generated content on its platforms... so that users can distinguish between what is real and fake", it said.

From BBC • Mar. 10, 2026

The commission also said that X's breaches included the deceptive design of its "blue checkmark" for supposedly verified accounts, and its failure to provide access to public data for researchers.

From Barron's • Feb. 20, 2026

Before, she thought it was the sign of a very good assistant, never accounting for how deceptive such an appearance might be.

From "The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern

From Roget's 21st Century Thesaurus, Third Edition Copyright © 2013 by the Philip Lief Group.