DECEPTIVE

deceptive, misleading

(adjective) designed to deceive or mislead either deliberately or inadvertently; “the deceptive calm in the eye of the storm”; “deliberately deceptive packaging”; “a misleading similarity”; “statistics can be presented in ways that are misleading”

deceptive, delusory

(adjective) causing one to believe what is not true or fail to believe what is true; “deceptive calm”; “a delusory pleasure”

Source: WordNet® 3.1

Etymology

Adjective

deceptive (comparative more deceptive, superlative most deceptive)

Likely or attempting to deceive.

Synonym: misleading

Synonyms

• See also deceptive

Source: Wiktionary

De*cep"tive, a. Etym: [Cf. F. déceptif. See Deceive.]

Definition: Tending to deceive; having power to mislead, or impress with false opinions; as, a deceptive countenance or appearance. Language altogether deceptive, and hiding the deeper reality from our eyes. Trench. Deceptive cadence (Mus.), a cadence on the subdominant, or in some foreign key, postponing the final close.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition