mislead
Send wrong way
To mislead is to cause someone to believe something untrue or to guide them in the wrong direction.
The word suggests leading astray rather than outright lying—you can mislead by omission, selective emphasis, or technically true but deceptive statements: The ad's fine print was designed to mislead consumers.
Unlike deceive, mislead often implies the victim follows willingly, unaware they're being led wrong.
Cause false belief
- trickDeliberate deception
- dupeDeceive or victim
- hoodwinkTrick into false belief
- bamboozleDeceive through cunning
beguile · delude · fool · con · swindle · gull · cozen · snow
Spread false information deliberately
- distortTwist from original form
- misrepresentDepict inaccurately or falsely
- falsifyDistort the truth
- twistRotating motion or surprise
spin · skew · slant · garble · warp · color · misstate · misquote
Deliberate falsehood
- falsehoodDeliberate untrue statement
- untruthA false statement
- fabricationDeliberately untrue statement
- fictionImagined narrative work
canard · hoax · ruse · ploy · subterfuge · pretense · guise · sham
Control through clever influence
- exploitNotable act or abuse
- influencePower to affect others
- coerceObtain by intimidation
- gaslightDistort someone's reality
brainwash · indoctrinate · propaganda · spin doctor · press · sway · persuade · finagle
Involving intentional dishonesty
- disingenuousFeigning ignorance or innocence
- insincereFeigning belief or feeling
- duplicitousDeliberately deceptive in nature
- two-facedInsincere and deceptive
underhanded · devious · scheming · crafty · sly · cunning · calculating · manipulative
Wrong action or decision
- misunderstandingFailure to grasp meaning
- misconceptionErroneous belief or understanding
- misapprehensionIncorrect belief or understanding
- misinterpretationIncorrect understanding of meaning
misjudgment · misperception · confusion · mix-up · crossed wires · wrong impression · false impression · misstep
deceive
Cause false belief
bamboozle · beguile · delude · fool · con · swindle · gull · cozen · snow · take in
disinform
Spread false information deliberately
- distortTwist from original form
- misrepresentDepict inaccurately or falsely
- falsifyDistort the truth
twist · spin · skew · slant · garble · warp · color · misstate · misquote · misreport
lie
Deliberate falsehood
- falsehoodDeliberate untrue statement
- untruthA false statement
- fabricationDeliberately untrue statement
fiction · canard · hoax · ruse · ploy · subterfuge · pretense · guise · sham · feint
manipulate
Control through clever influence
gaslight · brainwash · indoctrinate · propaganda · spin doctor · press · sway · persuade · finagle · wangle
fraudulent
Involving intentional dishonesty
- disingenuousFeigning ignorance or innocence
- insincereFeigning belief or feeling
- duplicitousDeliberately deceptive in nature
two-faced · underhanded · devious · scheming · crafty · sly · cunning · calculating · manipulative · treacherous
mistake
Wrong action or decision
- misunderstandingFailure to grasp meaning
- misconceptionErroneous belief or understanding
- misapprehensionIncorrect belief or understanding
misinterpretation · misjudgment · misperception · confusion · mix-up · crossed wires · wrong impression · false impression · misstep · miscommunication
- deceptionlie, lies, lying, fake, fraud
- mis- wordsmisbehave, miscall, miscount, misdeed, misfire
- trickerytrick, deceive, hoax, ruse, con
- mind gamesmind game, head game, head games, mind games, intimidation
- betrayalbackstab, betray, betrayal, traitor, backstabber
- concealmentconceal, hiding, concealing, concealed, hide
misleadinform
Give facts to
enlighten · tell the truth · disabuse · undeceive · set straight
misleadguide
Leader or instruction book
direct · lead · set straight · point the way · show the way
- misleading advertisingPromotion using false claims
- misleading claimsAssertions intended to deceive
- misleading statementsClaims designed to deceive
- misleading headlinesTitles misrepresenting article content
- misleading labelsFalse product descriptions