English Reference
adjective · noun

misleading

adj. · n.
US /mɪˈsɫidɪŋ/ UK /mɪslˈiːdɪŋ/ mis·lead·ing

  1. 01 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.

    Simple

    The advertisement was misleading because it didn't mention the extra costs.

    In context

    The statistics presented in the report were technically accurate but highly misleading, as they ignored the broader economic context of the region.

  2. 02 C1 Advanced 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.

    Simple

    The lawyer argued that the misleading of the jury was intentional.

    In context

    The deliberate misleading of the committee resulted in a complete breakdown of trust between the two departments.

A ministry spokesman expressed surprise on Saturday at “misleading statements” from Iranian officials and reaffirmed that Qatari forces are not holding any surviving aircrew.

Al Jazeera· 15 Aug 2026

Blue Origin also makes misleading claims about its rocket fuel.

Phys.org· 15 Aug 2026

From mislead + -ing.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This entry
Level C1 · Advanced
Frequency Frequent
Updated