deceptive
adj.giving an appearance or impression that is different from the true reality. You use it when something looks one way but is actually another.
adj.giving an appearance or impression different from the true reality; misleading. Often used to describe physical appearances or statistical data that mask an underlying truth.
“The calm sea was deceptive because the current was very strong.”
“The house's small exterior is deceptive, as it actually contains five large bedrooms and a spacious basement.”
“Economists warned that the deceptive rise in consumer spending was fueled by temporary debt rather than a genuine increase in household wealth or long-term financial stability.”
Often follows a linking verb like 'be', 'seem', or 'look'. Frequently paired with 'highly' or 'potentially'.
Learners sometimes use the adjective 'deceptive' where the noun 'deception' or 'deceptiveness' is required.
“Again, the company settled , agreeing to pay a $5 billion penalty and again promising to stop its deceptive data collection practices.”
“Criminals create both deceptive profiles and urgent scenarios to carry out the scam.”
From Middle French déceptif, from Latin dēceptīvus, from dēcipiō (“I deceive”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.