# misleading

Pronunciation: say "mis-LEE-ding" /(ˌ)mɪsˈliːdɪŋ/

## Adjective

1. Tending to give a false impression or deceive, even when a statement is technically accurate.
   - Simple: Making people believe something that is not true, even if the words are correct.
   - _The label is misleading: it implies the drink is sugar-free when it merely has less sugar._
   - _The brochure's photographs were deeply misleading about the size of the rooms._

## Verb

2. Present participle and gerund of mislead. — present participle and gerund of mislead
   - Simple: Present participle of mislead. Use this -ing form when the act of fooling someone is happening.
   - _The spokesperson was misleading reporters about the company's finances._
   - _Misleading investors is treated as a serious offense._

## Noun

3. An act of deception that leads someone to a false belief.
   - Simple: A trick or false statement that makes someone believe something untrue.
   - _The pamphlet was a calculated misleading designed to sway voters._
   - _What looked like an honest mistake was actually a deliberate misleading of the shareholders._

## Origin

Formed from the verb "mislead" with the suffix "-ing".

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/misleading (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).