Deceptively
adv
adv ·4 syllables ·Uncommon ·Advanced level
Definitions
Adverb
- 1 In a deceptive manner; misleadingly.
"those deceptively jaunty tunes that mask less-than- cheerful lyrics"
- 2 Actually but not apparently.
"We've rounded up 26 recipes that sound, look and taste difficult but are actually really easy. ... try one of these deceptively easy but wildly impressive recipes."
- 3 Apparently but not actually.
"The trial court found that the crewman who had spread the sawdust over the oil had made the situation more dangerous by creating a deceptively safe condition, resulting in a "trap" and an unseaworthy condition."
Adverb
- 1 in a misleading way wordnet
Example
More examples"Origami can seem deceptively simple, hiding complex math within its creases."
Etymology
From deceptive + -ly.
Related phrases
More for "deceptively"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.