deceptivity

plural deceptivities

1. uncountableusuallyThe quality of being deceptive.

   My few senses long ago revealed to me their imperfections and deceptivity.

   1908, Helen Keller, chapter 4, in The World I Live In,, New York: The Century Co., page 50

   1 more example

   Company-wide totals take on an iceberg-like deceptivity—what isn’t shown may be more important than what is.

   1971, Thayer C. Taylor, “Sales Analysis”, in Philip Kotler, Keith K. Cox, editors, Readings in Marketing Management, Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, page 383

   Synonyms: deceptiveness

2. rareuncountableusuallySomething that deceives.

   Alas, if he look to the Seen Powers only, he may as well quit the business; his No-thing will never rightly issue as a Thing, but as a Deceptivity, a Sham-thing, — which it had better not do!

   1843 April, Thomas Carlyle, “Chapter 12”, in Past and Present, American edition, Boston, Mass.: Charles C[offin] Little and James Brown, published 1843, →OCLC, book III (The Modern Worker), page 176

   Synonyms: deception, sham