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to mislead

to mislead

87 3.9
Make someone believe something that is not true
  • verb
  • /ˌmɪsˈliːd/
translation icon : engañar
  • Unfortunately, this metaphor is more likely to mislead than to illuminate.
  • the mislead public
  • mislead through advertising
  • mislead consumers

I just don't want people being misled about the nature of their condition.

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Examples

Synonyms

to lie
vsto mislead
1.3

To say something that is not true to trick someone

can happen without stating something untrue directly
to fool
vsto mislead
704 2.1

To trick someone into believing something that is not true

can include accidental or indirect causing of false belief
to deceive
vsto mislead
270 3.9

To make someone believe something that is not true to get an advantage

can cause false beliefs without aiming for personal gain
to misrepresent
vsto mislead
71 6.9

Give a false story about someone or something to trick people

can arise from any wrong information not only false accounts
to dupe
vsto mislead
58 6.4

To trick someone into believing something false

may involve giving wrong information without the strong tricking intent
to delude
vsto mislead
48 6.3

Make someone believe something that is not true

may be milder and include brief or accidental misbeliefs
to misinform
vsto mislead
35 4.8

To give someone wrong information, often by mistake

can be either intentional or unintentional rather than only accidental
to lead astray
vsto mislead
20 5.5

To make someone go the wrong way, behave badly, or believe things that are not true

focuses on causing false belief rather than leading to bad behaviour
to blow smoke
vsto mislead
  • Informal
11 9.0

Say things that are not true to make people believe you

can create false belief without loud or exaggerated speech
to mischaracterize
vsto mislead
  • US
10 8.0

To describe a person or thing unfairly

covers broader ways of causing wrong belief beyond description alone
to misdirect
vsto mislead
5 6.0

To send someone the wrong way or give wrong directions

is about causing false belief broadly, not just physical or directional error
to fool everyone
vsto mislead
4 3.9

To make all the people believe something that is not true

can cause false belief among some people without tricking everyone
to put one over on
vsto mislead
  • Informal
4 7.9

To trick someone into believing something false

may produce false acceptance even without intended trickery
to misreport
vsto mislead
  • Literature
3 5.8

To give wrong information in a report, often by mistake

is not limited to formal reports and covers many contexts
to bend the truth
vsto mislead
3 5.9

To say something that is not exactly what happened to make it look better

can include complete or accidental falsehoods beyond small adjustments
to misguide
vsto mislead
1 4.3

To give someone wrong advice or directions that lead them to make mistakes

focuses more on causing wrong beliefs rather than wrong actions
to put one across
vsto mislead
  • UK
9.0

Make someone believe something false to trick them

can also involve accidental or indirect false guidance rather than persuasion

Antonyms

248 3.3

To make something clear so others can understand it

How Deceptive

to trick
326 3.5
to deceive
270 3.9
to mislead
87 3.9
to misinform
35 4.8

Surface Forms

mislead infinitive
misleading present participle
misleads third person singular
misled past
misled past participle

Morphology

mislead = lead (transparent) = mis + lead

The negative prefix 'mis-' meaning 'wrongly' attaches to the verb 'lead', producing the straightforward sense 'to lead someone wrongly or into error'.

Etymology

Mislead is made from the parts mis- meaning 'wrong' or 'badly' (seen in mistake) and lead meaning 'to guide'. So to mislead someone is to 'lead' them the 'wrong' way, which is why it means causing someone to believe something that is not true.