deceived
Led down falsely
Deceived is the past tense of deceive, meaning to cause someone to believe something false.
A deceived person has been misled or tricked: She felt deceived when she learned the truth.
The word often carries emotional weight—being deceived implies a betrayal of trust, not just an error in information.
Caused to believe falsely
- dupedDeceived into believing
- hoodwinkedTricked into believing falsely
- bamboozledThoroughly deceived or confused
- fooledLed to believe falsely
tricked · conned · gulled · beguiled · led astray · misguided · suckered · taken in
Illegally deceived for gain
- swindledDeceived for gain
- scammedCheated through deception
- cheatedActed dishonestly to win
- fleecedDefrauded of money
bilked · ripped off · conned · hustled · flimflammed · grifted · phished · catfished
Violated someone's trust
- backstabbedTreacherously harmed by ally
- double-crossedBetrayed by supposed ally
- cheatedActed dishonestly to win
- sold outNo inventory remains
two-faced · disloyal · unfaithful · treacherous · stabbed in the back · let down · abandoned · forsaken
Wrongly convinced of falsehoods
- hallucinatedPerceived nonexistent stimuli
- imaginedFormed in the mind
- fantasizedImagined unrealistic scenarios
- dreamedImagined while asleep
mistaken · mirage · chimera · phantasm · apparition · figment · false impression · wishful thinking
Inclined to distrust
- distrustfulLacking faith in others
- waryGuardedly alert
- guardedWary and restrained
- skepticalInclined to question claims
cynical · paranoid · doubtful · leery · mistrustful · once bitten · fool me twice · trust issues
misled
Caused to believe falsely
- dupedDeceived into believing
- hoodwinkedTricked into believing falsely
- bamboozledThoroughly deceived or confused
fooled · tricked · conned · gulled · beguiled · led astray · misguided · suckered · taken in · strung along
defrauded
Illegally deceived for gain
fleeced · bilked · ripped off · conned · hustled · flimflammed · grifted · phished · catfished · Ponzi
betrayed
Violated someone's trust
- backstabbedTreacherously harmed by ally
- double-crossedBetrayed by supposed ally
- cheatedActed dishonestly to win
sold out · two-faced · disloyal · unfaithful · treacherous · stabbed in the back · let down · abandoned · forsaken · wronged
deluded
Wrongly convinced of falsehoods
- hallucinatedPerceived nonexistent stimuli
- imaginedFormed in the mind
- fantasizedImagined unrealistic scenarios
dreamed · mistaken · mirage · chimera · phantasm · apparition · figment · false impression · wishful thinking · seeing things
suspicious
Inclined to distrust
- distrustfulLacking faith in others
- waryGuardedly alert
- guardedWary and restrained
skeptical · cynical · paranoid · doubtful · leery · mistrustful · once bitten · fool me twice · trust issues · jaded
- dupedtricked, fooled, conned, swindled, scammed
- falsifiedfalsified, doctored, fabricated, fake, faked
- off targetoff target, off-target, off the mark, wide of the mark, wide
deceivedinformed
Given necessary knowledge
enlightened · undeceived · disillusioned · disabused · educated
deceive, deceiving, deceiver, deceives, undeceive, deceivers, deceivable, undeceived, undeceiving