deceptively

Adverb

deceptively (comparative more deceptively, superlative most deceptively)

1. In a deceptive manner; misleadingly.
   • those deceptively jaunty tunes that mask less-than- cheerful lyrics2006 February 10, Dorian Lynskey, “Readers recommend: joyous songs”, in The Guardian
   • A trade mark is deceptively similar to another trade mark if it so nearly resembles that other trade mark that it is likely to deceive or cause confusion2010, Australian Law Dictionarydeceptively similar, Oxford Reference
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.2015 February 12, Alison Spiegel, “Deceptively Easy Valentine's Day Recipes”, in HuffPost
   • The “deceptively spacious” cliche is accurate in the case of this house near the corner of Castlepark Road and Hyde Road: from the front, it looks like a traditional 1930s home. But the current owners, who moved here 23 years ago, have extended it three times since then; now, with two levels at the...2015 September 3, Frances O'Rourke, “‘Deceptively spacious’ fits the bill in Dalkey for €1.575m”, in The Irish Times
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.1968 October 29, Leonard P. Moore, Bertino v. Polish Ocean Line, 402 F.2d 963, 866 (2 Cir. 1968)
   • Mathematicians have long pondered a deceptively easy puzzle about the reach of a goat tied to a fence. Until now, they’ve only found approximate answers.2020 December 27, Steve Nadis, “After Centuries, a Simple Math Problem Gets an Exact Solution”, in Wired