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deceptively

Translate deceptively | into Italian
Definition of deceptively

adverb

[usually as submodifier]
  • in a way or to an extent that gives a misleading impression:
  • to a lesser extent than appears the case:the idea was deceptively simple
  • to a greater extent than appears the case:the airy and deceptively spacious lounge

Deceptively belongs to a very small set of words whose meaning is genuinely ambiguous. It can be used in similar contexts to mean both one thing and also its complete opposite. A deceptively smooth surface is one which appears smooth but in fact is not smooth at all, while a deceptively spacious room is one that does not look spacious but is in fact more spacious than it appears. But what is a deceptively steep gradient? Or a person who is described as deceptively strong? To avoid confusion, it is probably best to reword and not to use deceptively in such contexts at all.

deceptively in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of deceptively in the US English dictionary
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