deceptive

[ dih-sep-tiv ]
See synonyms for deceptive on Thesaurus.com
adjective
  1. apt or tending to deceive: The enemy's peaceful overtures may be deceptive.

  2. perceptually misleading: It looks like a curved line, but it's deceptive.

Origin of deceptive

1
First recorded in 1605–15; from Medieval Latin dēceptīvus, equivalent to Latin dēcept(us) “deceived” (see deception) + -īvus -ive

Other words for deceptive

Other words from deceptive

  • de·cep·tive·ly, adverb
  • de·cep·tive·ness, noun
  • non·de·cep·tive, adjective
  • non·de·cep·tive·ness, noun
  • un·de·cep·tive, adjective
  • un·de·cep·tive·ness, noun

Words Nearby deceptive

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How to use deceptive in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for deceptive

deceptive

/ (dɪˈsɛptɪv) /


adjective
  1. likely or designed to deceive; misleading: appearances can be deceptive

  2. music (of a cadence) another word for interrupted (def. 3)

Derived forms of deceptive

  • deceptively, adverb
  • deceptiveness, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012