betrügerische

Betrügerische is a German adjective meaning deceptive or fraudulent, used to describe statements, actions, or practices that are intended to mislead or cheat others. It often appears in contexts such as law, journalism, and consumer protection.

Grammatically, betrügerische is the attributive form of betrügerisch. Its ending changes with gender, number, and case. Examples include: die betrügerische Absicht (feminine singular, definite article), eine betrügerische Absicht (feminine singular, indefinite), betrügerische Absichten (plural), die betrügerischen Praktiken (plural with definite article). Without a definite article, one might encounter phrases like betrügerische Praktiken (plural, no article).

Common collocations in German include betrügerische Werbung (fraudulent advertising), betrügerische Geschäftspraktiken (fraudulent business practices), betrügerische Behauptungen (deceptive claims), and betrügerische Angebote (fraudulent offers). The term is widely used in academic, legal, media, and consumer contexts to characterize deceptive or dishonest behavior.

Etymologically, betrügerische derives from betrügen (to cheat or defraud) with the typical German suffix -isch to form an adjective. It is closely related to the noun Betrug (fraud) and to the adjective betrügerisch, which can function as an adverb or descriptive modifier in sentences.

See also: Betrug, betrügerisch, täuschend. In usage, betrügerische conveys a strong negative evaluation of similarity to fraud, and should be applied with care to avoid overstatement in neutral reporting.