false

[ fawls ]

adjective

, fals·er, fals·est.

1. not true or correct; erroneous:

   a false statement.

   Synonyms: untrue, wrong, incorrect, mistaken

2. uttering or declaring what is untrue:

   a false witness.

   Synonyms: mendacious, lying, untruthful

3. not faithful or loyal; treacherous:

   a false friend.

   Synonyms: hypocritical, traitorous, perfidious, inconstant, unfaithful, disloyal, disingenuous, insincere

4. tending to deceive or mislead; deceptive:

   a false impression.

   Synonyms: fallacious, misleading

5. not genuine; counterfeit.

   Synonyms: artificial, bogus, spurious

6. based on mistaken, erroneous, or inconsistent impressions, ideas, or facts:

   false pride.

7. used as a substitute or supplement, especially temporarily:

   false supports for a bridge.

8. Biology. having a superficial resemblance to something that properly bears the name:

   the false acacia.

9. not properly, accurately, or honestly made, done, or adjusted:

   a false balance.

10. inaccurate in pitch, as a musical note.

adverb

1. dishonestly; faithlessly; treacherously:

   Did he speak false against me?

false

/ fɔːls /

adjective

1. not in accordance with the truth or facts
2. irregular or invalid

   a false start

3. untruthful or lying

   a false account

4. not genuine, real, or natural; artificial; fake

   false eyelashes

5. being or intended to be misleading or deceptive

   a false rumour

6. disloyal or treacherous

   a false friend

7. based on mistaken or irrelevant ideas or facts

   a false argument

   false pride

8. prenominal (esp of plants) superficially resembling the species specified

   false hellebore

9. serving to supplement or replace, often temporarily

   a false keel

10. music
    1. (of a note, interval, etc) out of tune
    2. (of the interval of a perfect fourth or fifth) decreased by a semitone
    3. (of a cadence) interrupted or imperfect

adverb

1. in a false or dishonest manner (esp in the phrase play ( someone ) false )

Derived Forms

• ˈfalsely, adverb
• ˈfalseness, noun

Other Words From

• falsely adverb
• falseness noun
• half-false adjective
• quasi-false adjective
• quasi-falsely adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of false¹

First recorded before 1000; Middle English, Old English fals, from Latin falsus “feigned, false,” originally past participle of fallere “to deceive”; reinforced by or reborrowed from Anglo-French, Old French fals (feminine false ), from Latin

Word History and Origins

Origin of false¹

Old English fals , from Latin falsus , from fallere to deceive

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. play someone false, to betray someone; be treacherous or faithless.

More idioms and phrases containing false

• lull into (false sense of security)
• play false
• ring false

Synonym Study

False, sham, counterfeit agree in referring to something that is not genuine. False is used mainly of imitations of concrete objects; it sometimes implies an intent to deceive: false teeth; false hair. Sham is rarely used of concrete objects and usually has the suggestion of intent to deceive: sham title; sham tears. Counterfeit always has the implication of cheating; it is used particularly of spurious imitation of coins, paper money, etc.

Example Sentences

Additionally, The New York Times’ Daily Distortions vertical tracks false and misleading information, and The Washington Post’s Fact Checker was created in 2007 to hold mostly politicians accountable for false or misleading statements.

From Digiday

He’s concerned, in the meantime, that the rollout of vaccines could lead to a false sense of security, followed again by spikes in infections, but his focus continues to be on getting businesses to comply.

From Voice of San Diego

Increasingly, scientists have found that nonbiological chemical processes can create similar shapes, suggesting the possibility of “false positives” in the biological record.

From Science News

“Parents can have a false sense of security, especially when they’re around their children all the time,” Olson said.

From Washington Post

A reasonable person would assume she was talking about coronavirus cases and deaths — which would be false.

From Washington Post

And no issue should be defined by its outliers because it paints a false picture.

From The Daily Beast

He has contributed to a false picture of law enforcement based on isolated injustices.

From The Daily Beast

“Nothing else to do” was the most common response for why people chose to go to The Ball, though that rang a little false to me.

From The Daily Beast

He quotes an unnamed cardinal saying that the conclave voters knew the charges were false.

From The Daily Beast

Once people with ID are arrested, they are particularly susceptible to making coerced and often false confessions.

From The Daily Beast

But the sheer quantity of the inflated currency and false money forces prices higher still.

From Project Gutenberg

The rest is done by cutting away two upper and four under-teeth, and substituting false ones at the desired angle.

From Project Gutenberg

He was thrashed at school before the Jews and the hubshi, for the heinous crime of bringing home false reports of progress.

From Project Gutenberg

I will not, therefore, say that the proposition that the value of everything equals the cost of production is false.

From Project Gutenberg

But his servant runs after the man, and gets two talents of silver and some garments under false pretences.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• bogus
• deceitful
• dishonest
• distorted
• erroneous
• fake
• fanciful
• faulty
• fictitious
• fraudulent
• improper
• inaccurate
• incorrect
• invalid
• misleading
• mistaken
• phony
• specious
• spurious
• unfounded