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as in fraudulent
marked by, based on, or done by the use of dishonest methods to acquire something of value false advertising that claimed that the vegetables were organically grown when they weren't

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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Synonym Chooser

How is the word false different from other adjectives like it?

Some common synonyms of false are disloyal, faithless, perfidious, traitorous, and treacherous. While all these words mean "untrue to what should command one's fidelity or allegiance," false stresses the fact of failing to be true in any manner ranging from fickleness to cold treachery.

betrayed by false friends

When is disloyal a more appropriate choice than false?

Although the words disloyal and false have much in common, disloyal implies a lack of complete faithfulness to a friend, cause, leader, or country.

disloyal to their country

When is it sensible to use faithless instead of false?

The words faithless and false can be used in similar contexts, but faithless applies to any failure to keep a promise or pledge or any breach of allegiance or loyalty.

faithless allies

How are the words perfidious and faithless related as synonyms of false?

Perfidious adds to faithless the implication of an incapacity for fidelity or reliability.

a perfidious double-crosser

Where would traitorous be a reasonable alternative to false?

In some situations, the words traitorous and false are roughly equivalent. However, traitorous implies either actual treason or a serious betrayal of trust.

traitorous acts punishable by death

When can treacherous be used instead of false?

The synonyms treacherous and false are sometimes interchangeable, but treacherous implies readiness to betray trust or confidence.

a treacherous adviser

Examples Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of false Outside the main doors, one large group of election observers congregated as Jefferson Davis lead them in a prayer. Davis, is a former Menomonee Falls village president who promoted false claims about the 2020 election and tried to overturn the results. Madison Lammert, Journal Sentinel, 6 Nov. 2024 Trump and Vance amplified a false story that legal Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, were eating pets. Jessie Balmert, The Enquirer, 6 Nov. 2024 But since then, those companies have made cuts to those teams and walked back policies designed to restrict false claims about politics and elections. Clare Duffy, CNN, 5 Nov. 2024 The movie sets the stage nicely, and Neeson doesn‘t make a false move. Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 1 Nov. 2024 See all Example Sentences for false 
Recent Examples of Synonyms for false
Adjective
  • Between the lines: Republicans have argued vigorously that the apostrophe placed in the transcript is erroneous and that Biden was actually criticizing individual Trump voters.
    Andrew Solender, Axios, 1 Nov. 2024
  • The billionaire responded to reports that he would not be invited to the U.K.’s investment summit with false claims about the release of prisoners in the country, following a trend of erroneous and inflammatory comments directed at the U.K. in recent months.
    Chloe Berger, Fortune Europe, 26 Sep. 2024
Adjective
  • Brands from Old Navy to Gucci have introduced burgundy into their fall collections, showing faux suede outerwear, lush sweaters and trendy footwear.
    Jane Hanson, Forbes, 4 Nov. 2024
  • Add a faux fur skirt or garland around the tree for an elevated approach to the decade.
    Isabella Milano, Better Homes & Gardens, 4 Nov. 2024
Adjective
  • While the total across the four cases—all withdrawn after a deposit of forged or counterfeit checks—came to more than $661,000, a significant portion of that comes from just one case.
    Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 29 Oct. 2024
  • Federal law enforcement officials announced the criminal indictments against the man and six other people on Monday, calling the case one of the largest counterfeit pill busts ever in New England.
    CBS News, CBS News, 24 Sep. 2024
Adjective
  • Wear rubber gloves and clip a mangled licking branch (which holds the forehead and saliva scent of several bucks and does) from atop an active scrape and wire it over a mock scrape near your stand.
    Michael Hanback, Outdoor Life, 7 Nov. 2024
  • Miller recently pitched a mock trade that would send Crochet to Philadelphia.
    Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 5 Nov. 2024
Adjective
  • Noon in the 1800 block of South Bascom Avenue: Someone stole the victim’s credit cards and cell phone and later made several fraudulent charges.
    Anne Gelhaus, The Mercury News, 12 Nov. 2024
  • Cash App is expected to pay out up to $15 million in a settlement over two data security incidents and company practices around unauthorized account access and fraudulent transactions.
    Kate Irwin, PCMAG, 11 Nov. 2024
Adjective
  • Simultaneously, Hal is on a call with President Rayburn to brief him on Penn's traitorous schemes.
    Samantha Stutsman, People.com, 5 Nov. 2024
  • Assassinations first target Republicans deemed traitorous.
    Charles Bethea, The New Yorker, 4 Nov. 2024
Adjective
  • This is inaccurate, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission.
    Natalie Krebs, Outdoor Life, 6 Nov. 2024
  • Scott Keeter, senior fellow at the Pew Research Center, that polls in 2020 and 2016 were inaccurate because Trump supporters opt out of surveys due to distrust in institutions like the mainstream media and polling organizations.
    Martha McHardy, Newsweek, 5 Nov. 2024
Adjective
  • While oxycodone and other addictive prescription painkillers kicked off the opioid epidemic in the U.S, synthetic drugs such as fentanyl have become the drug responsible for the most overdose deaths, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
    Nathan Solis, Los Angeles Times, 5 Nov. 2024
  • So the value of synthetic data, in a lot of these use cases, may be limited.
    John Werner, Forbes, 4 Nov. 2024

Thesaurus Entries Near false

Cite this Entry

“False.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/false. Accessed 21 Nov. 2024.

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