Word
misleading
Phoneticsmis·lead·ing, stress on the second syllable
US/mɪˈsɫidɪŋ/
UK/mɪslˈiːdɪŋ/
Definitions
01deceptive
B2 · Upper Intermediate
adj. giving a wrong idea or impression, often on purpose.
adj. tending to lead into error of conduct or thought; creating a false impression through omission or distortion.
日本語:紛らわしい※
“The advertisement was misleading because it didn't mention the extra costs.”
“The statistics presented in the report were technically accurate but highly misleading, as they ignored the broader economic context of the region.”
02the act of deception
C1 · Advanced Uncountable noun Formal
n. the act of making someone believe something that is not true.
n. the act or instance of leading someone into a false belief or incorrect course of action.
“The lawyer argued that the misleading of the jury was intentional.”
“The deliberate misleading of the committee resulted in a complete breakdown of trust between the two departments.”
Collocations
Common phrases and expressions where native English speakers use the word “misleading” in context.
Verb
01. find the data misleading
“Many analysts found the data misleading because it excluded several key performance indicators.”
verb + noun + adj
02. prove misleading
“Initial results from the clinical trial proved misleading after a larger study was conducted.”
verb + adj
Adjective
03. misleading advertising
“Strict regulations were introduced to protect the public from misleading advertising in the financial sector.”
adj + noun
04. misleading impression
“The luxury packaging gives a misleading impression of the actual quality of the goods inside.”
adj + noun
Adverb
05. deliberately misleading
“The company was fined for providing deliberately misleading information about the safety of their vehicles.”
adv + adj
06. highly misleading
“The statistics presented in the report were highly misleading and failed to account for regional variations.”
adv + adj
07. potentially misleading
“The labels on these products are potentially misleading to consumers who are not familiar with technical jargon.”
adv + adj
Real-World Examples
“A ministry spokesman expressed surprise on Saturday at “misleading statements” from Iranian officials and reaffirmed that Qatari forces are not holding any surviving aircrew.” “Blue Origin also makes misleading claims about its rocket fuel.” Etymology
From mislead + -ing.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Word family
VERB
ADJECTIVE
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.C1 AdvancedIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.7.0–8.0TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 5.0–5.595–113TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.945–990
- Frequency
- Frequent
- Level
- C1 · AdvancedOxford
- Updated
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QR code
englishreference.com/q/misleading
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「日本語」 data: JMdict (EDRDG), CC BY-SA 4.0