deceptive

  • 1deceptive — de·cep·tive /di sep tiv/ adj: tending or having capacity to deceive deceptive trade practices compare fraudulent, misleading Merriam Webster’s Dictionary of Law. Merriam Webster. 1996 …

    Law dictionary

  • 2Deceptive — De*cep tive, a. [Cf. F. d[ e]ceptif. See {Deceive}.] Tending to deceive; having power to mislead, or impress with false opinions; as, a deceptive countenance or appearance. [1913 Webster] Language altogether deceptive, and hiding the deeper… …

    The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • 3deceptive — 1610s, from Fr. deceptif (late 14c.), from M.L. deceptivus, from decept , pp. stem of L. decipere (see DECEIVE (Cf. deceive)). Earlier in this sense was deceptious (c.1600), from Fr. deceptieux, from M.L. deceptiosus, from deceptionem. Related:… …

    Etymology dictionary

  • 4deceptive — *misleading, delusory, delusive Analogous words: specious, *plausible, colorable: *false, wrong Contrasted words: genuine, *authentic, veritable, bona fide: true, *real, actual …

    New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • 5deceptive — [adj] dishonest ambiguous, astucious, beguiling, bum*, catchy, crafty, cunning, deceitful, deceiving, deluding, delusive, delusory, designing, disingenuous, fake, fallacious, false, fishy, foxy, fraudulent, illusory, imposturous, indirect,… …

    New thesaurus

  • 6deceptive — ► ADJECTIVE ▪ giving an impression different from the true one …

    English terms dictionary

  • 7deceptive — [dē sep′tiv, disep′tiv] adj. [Fr déceptif < LL deceptivus: see DECEIVE & IVE] deceiving or intended to deceive deceptively adv. deceptiveness n …

    English World dictionary

  • 8deceptive — de|cep|tive [dıˈseptıv] adj 1.) something that is deceptive seems to be one thing but is in fact very different ▪ Some snakes move with deceptive speed (=move faster than you think or expect) . ▪ Gwen s students may look angelic, but appearances… …

    Dictionary of contemporary English

  • 9deceptive — adj. VERBS ▪ be ADVERB ▪ highly, very ▪ dangerously PHRASES ▪ can be deceptive …

    Collocations dictionary

  • 10deceptive — UK [dɪˈseptɪv] / US adjective 1) something that is deceptive seems very different from the way it really is appearances can be deceptive: The hotel looked nice but appearances can be deceptive. 2) trying to trick someone by telling them something …

    English dictionary