Word
deceptively
Phoneticsde·cep·tive·ly
US/dɪˈsɛptɪvɫi/
UK/dɪsˈɛptɪvli/
Definition
adv. in a way that hides the true nature of something. You use this when something looks simple or harmless, but it is actually difficult or dangerous.
adv. in a manner that conceals the true nature or difficulty of something. Often used to describe appearances that are misleading or to describe tasks that are more complex than they initially seem.
Examples
“The path looks easy, but it is deceptively difficult.”
“The small, quiet cottage was deceptively expensive to maintain because of the high property taxes in the area.”
“The deceptively simple equation hides a complex set of variables that only a seasoned mathematician can fully unravel without making a single error.”
Examples
simple
“The path looks easy, but it is deceptively difficult.”
contextual
“The small, quiet cottage was deceptively expensive to maintain because of the high property taxes in the area.”
complex
“The deceptively simple equation hides a complex set of variables that only a seasoned mathematician can fully unravel without making a single error.”
Real-World Examples
“To the untrained eye, the Nullarbor Plain appears deceptively simple and featureless.” “The single Barely Breathing, a sweet-sounding but deceptively raw portrait of romantic suffering, became a radio staple, staying on the Billboard Hot 100 for 55 weeks – the fourth-longest-ever run, at the time.” “In 2012, Meta, then Facebook, Inc., settled with the Federal Trade Commission to resolve claims that it deceptively designed its privacy settings and collected data from users without their knowledge.” Etymology
From deceptive + -ly.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
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englishreference.com/q/deceptively