# misled

/mɪˈsɫɛd/ (US) · /mɪslˈɛd/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/misled
Updated: 2026-08-27

## Senses

### 1. past tense of mislead

verb · CEFR B2

gave someone the wrong idea or made them believe something that was not true.

For teachers: past tense of mislead; to have provided false or confusing information that caused another to form an incorrect conclusion.

- The company misled its customers about how much the service would cost.
- The witness deliberately misled the investigators by providing a series of conflicting statements regarding his whereabouts on the night in question.

### 2. having the wrong idea

adjective · CEFR B2

believing something that is not true because you were given bad information.

For teachers: functioning as a participial adjective to describe a person or group holding incorrect beliefs due to deceptive or inaccurate information.

- I think you are misled if you believe that this project will be easy.
- The public felt deeply misled by the political campaign's promises, which were retracted immediately following the election results.

## Examples

- I feel misled by the false promises in the advertisement.
- The investors felt misled after the company failed to disclose its significant debts in the annual report.
- Voters often feel misled when campaign promises are discarded immediately following an election, leading to a profound sense of disillusionment with the political process.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.