DECEPTIVE: Synonyms and Related Words. What is Another Word for DECEPTIVE?

Need another word that means the same as “deceptive”? Find 35 synonyms and 30 related words for “deceptive” in this overview.

The synonyms of “Deceptive” are: delusory, misleading, illusory, illusive, illusionary, ambiguous, delusive, distorted, specious, deceitful, duplicitous, fraudulent, counterfeit, sham, bogus, cheating, underhand, cunning, crafty, sly, guileful, scheming, perfidious, treacherous, machiavellian, disingenuous, untrustworthy, unscrupulous, unprincipled, dishonest, untruthful, lying, mendacious, insincere, false

Deceptive as an Adjective

Definitions of "Deceptive" as an adjective

According to the Oxford Dictionary of English, “deceptive” as an adjective can have the following definitions:

  • Giving an appearance or impression different from the true one; misleading.
  • Causing one to believe what is not true or fail to believe what is true.
  • Designed to deceive or mislead either deliberately or inadvertently.

Synonyms of "Deceptive" as an adjective (35 Words)

ambiguousNot clear or decided.
The election result was ambiguous.
bogusFraudulent; having a misleading appearance.
A bogus insurance claim.
cheatingNot faithful to a spouse or lover.
counterfeitPretended; sham.
Counterfeit emotion.
craftySkilled at the making of decorative objects and other things by hand.
They are looking for crafty people to join the group to make ornaments.
cunningShowing inventiveness and skill.
The cunning maneuvers leading to his success.
deceitfulIntended to deceive – S.T.Coleridge.
Such an act would have been deceitful and irresponsible.
delusiveGiving a false or misleading impression.
Delusive expectations.
delusoryCausing one to believe what is not true or fail to believe what is true.
A delusory pleasure.
dishonestIntended to mislead or cheat.
He was a dishonest hypocrite prepared to exploit his family.
disingenuousNot straightforward or candid; giving a false appearance of frankness.
A disingenuous excuse.
distortedAffected by electrical distortion.
His poor distorted limbs.
duplicitousMarked by deliberate deceptiveness especially by pretending one set of feelings and acting under the influence of another.
A duplicitous philanderer.
falseUsed in names of plants animals and gems that superficially resemble the thing properly so called e g false oat.
A false assumption.
fraudulentObtained, done by, or involving deception, especially criminal deception.
Fraudulent share dealing.
guilefulMarked by skill in deception.
A supremely guileful and deceptive politician.
illusionaryMarked by or producing illusion.
Illusionary stage effects.
illusiveDeceptive; illusory.
An illusive haven.
illusoryBased on illusion; not real.
Secret activities offer presidents the alluring but often illusory promise that they can achieve foreign policy goals without the bothersome debate and open decision that are staples of democracy.
insincereLacking sincerity.
She flashed him an insincere smile.
lyingNot telling the truth.
He s a lying cheating snake in the grass.
machiavellianOf or relating to Machiavelli or the principles of conduct he recommended.
mendaciousGiven to lying.
A mendacious child.
misleadingGiving the wrong idea or impression.
Statistics can be presented in ways that are misleading.
perfidiousDeceitful and untrustworthy.
The perfidious Judas.
schemingGiven to or involved in making secret and underhand plans.
A scheming wife.
shamBogus; false.
Sham modesty.
slyMarked by skill in deception.
A sly sip of water.
speciousSuperficially plausible, but actually wrong.
A specious argument.
treacherousTending to betray especially having a treacherous character as attributed to the Carthaginians by the Romans.
Memory is particularly treacherous.
underhandWith the palm of the hand upward or outward.
Underhand dealings.
unprincipledLacking principles or moral scruples.
An unprincipled womanizer.
unscrupulousHaving or showing no moral principles; not honest or fair.
Unscrupulous landlords might be tempted to harass existing tenants.
untrustworthyNot able to be relied on as honest or truthful.
These untrustworthy impressions were instinctive.
untruthfulSaying or consisting of something that is false or incorrect.
An untruthful person.

Usage Examples of "Deceptive" as an adjective

  • The deceptive calm in the eye of the storm.
  • Deliberately deceptive packaging.
  • Deceptive calm.
  • He put the question with deceptive casualness.

Associations of "Deceptive" (30 Words)

beguileTrick (someone) into doing something.
They were beguiled into signing a peace treaty.
cheatAn act of cheating a fraud or deception.
I wish someone had told me my partner was cheating on me.
cheatingNot faithful to a spouse or lover.
chicaneryThe use of deception or subterfuge to achieve one’s purpose.
Storylines packed with political chicanery.
cozenObtain by deception.
He cozened the money out of the old man.
cunningAttractive or quaint.
A cunning look came into his eyes.
deceitThe quality of being fraudulent.
A series of lies and deceits.
deceitfulIntended to deceive.
Deceitful advertising.
deceiveBe false to; be dishonest with.
I didn t intend to deceive people into thinking it was French champagne.
deceptionA thing that deceives.
A range of elaborate deceptions.
delusiveGiving a false or misleading impression.
Delusive expectations.
dishonestBehaving or prone to behave in an untrustworthy, deceitful, or insincere way.
Dishonest politicians.
dissimulationConcealment of one’s thoughts, feelings, or character; pretence.
An attempt at dissimulation.
fraudA person who makes deceitful pretenses.
Prosecutions for social security frauds.
fraudulenceSomething intended to deceive; deliberate trickery intended to gain an advantage.
fraudulentObtained, done by, or involving deception, especially criminal deception.
Fraudulent psychics.
hoaxSubject to a playful hoax or joke.
A hoax 999 call.
humbugPretentious or silly talk or writing.
His comments are sheer humbug.
imposturePretending to be another person.
I discovered the imposture as soon as her doppelganger arrived.
inducementAct of bringing about a desired result.
Inducement of sleep.
lieThe way direction or position in which something lies.
Putting homeless families into private houses that would otherwise lie empty.
lureSomething used to lure fish or other animals into danger so they can be trapped or killed.
The lure of the exotic East.
motivatorA positive motivational influence.
Music can be a great exercise motivator.
mountebankA person who sold patent medicines in public places.
phonyA person who professes beliefs and opinions that he or she does not hold in order to conceal his or her real feelings or motives.
scamA dishonest scheme; a fraud.
A guy that scams old pensioners out of their savings.
swindleObtain (money) fraudulently.
He was said to have swindled 62 5 million from the state owned cement industry.
treacherousTending to betray especially having a treacherous character as attributed to the Carthaginians by the Romans.
Treacherous intrigues.
trickeryVerbal misrepresentation intended to take advantage of you in some way.
The dealer resorted to trickery.
untruthA lie or false statement (often used euphemistically.
They go off and tell untruths about organizations for which they worked.

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