FALSE Synonyms: 317 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: 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

Q: 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

Q: 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

Q: 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

Q: 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

Q: 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

false

adjective

ˈfȯls

Definition of false

as in erroneous

not being in agreement with what is true early reports about the explosion contained much false information

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in faux

being such in appearance only and made with or manufactured from usually cheaper materials George Washington's false teeth were not made of wood but of elephant ivory and cow's teeth

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in counterfeit

being such in appearance only and made or manufactured with the intention of committing fraud arrested for selling false ID cards to teenagers

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in mock

lacking in natural or spontaneous quality so much of the sympathy that the widow received was false and hypocritical, since it came from people who never liked her husband in the first place

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in traitorous

not true in one's allegiance to someone or something false friends who deserted the prizefighter when all his money was gone

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as in misleading

tending or having power to deceive it turned out that the con man had made false promises of marriage to a dozen women

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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

Example 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 Compassion does not require abandonment of public order There is also a false choice being presented between compassion and enforcement. — Lawrence Bell, Baltimore Sun, 15 Sep. 2026 She is charged with voting by an alien in a federal election and false statement of citizenship in order to register to vote. — Maven Navarro, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 15 Sep. 2026 No one had done this thorough a job to trace the legend’s origins and find out what is true and what is demonstrably false about it — and, more importantly, why the damn thing has outlasted nearly every other gossip item in the history of Hollywood. — Allen Salkin, HollywoodReporter, 14 Sep. 2026 Such false representations would likely violate relevant state law. — Benjamin Swasey, NPR, 14 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for false

Recent Examples of Synonyms for false

Adjective

Interestingly, these erroneous memories became stable over time.

— Elizabeth A. Phelps, Fortune, 14 Sep. 2026
Generally, the courts are limited in overruling regulatory agencies unless a ruling was clearly erroneous.

— Robert McCoppin, Chicago Tribune, 10 Sep. 2026

Definition of erroneous

Adjective

Oblivious to her own biases about who Leo is and why, Mallory poses as a therapist keen on saving his life, but uses their faux sessions to mine his story for literary gold.

— Emily St. Martin, Los Angeles Times, 15 Sep. 2026
That red coat Swift strutted into Arrowhead a few days before Christmas in 2024 for the Chiefs-Texans game in a statement-making, cherry red faux fur and suede coat with fluffy cuffs and collar by British label Charlotte Simone.

— Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 14 Sep. 2026

Definition of faux

Adjective

The department had initially intercepted and inspected the shipment at the port based on a tip received by its counterfeit and piracy enforcement team, the department said in the release.

— Suhauna Hussain, Los Angeles Times, 2 Sep. 2026
Whatnot and TikTok have had to contend with issues of counterfeit and stolen goods.

— Ryan Baker, CNBC, 1 Sep. 2026

Definition of counterfeit

Adjective

Look cute and stay comfy on long travel days with this matching set, which comes with a polished mock-neck short-sleeve top and wide-leg pants with a stretchy waistband.

— Isabel Garcia, PEOPLE, 6 Sep. 2026
The outfit consisted of a sleeveless, mock-neck blouse in mocha-brown, tucked into a tawny suede skirt that hit just above her ankles.

— Chanel Vargas, InStyle, 30 Aug. 2026

Definition of mock

Adjective

According to a criminal complaint, Young used shell corporations and fraudulent billing practices to misappropriate funds intended for homeless housing, including through programs administered by the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority.

— Brittny Mejia, Los Angeles Times, 16 Sep. 2026
The operation began around 2018, when Noreus agreed to provide fraudulent credentials to nursing students recruited through Medlife Institute, another school implicated in the federal investigation, according to prosecutors.

— Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 16 Sep. 2026

Definition of fraudulent

Adjective

Telemachus’ lone contribution is killing Melanthius, the traitorous Ithacan farmhand, thus preventing him from continuing to arm the suitors.

— Marlow Stern, Variety, 17 July 2026
And at the very center of Hell is Satan himself, the traitorous Archangel Lucifer, depicted as a monstrous creature with wings and three heads.

— Keith Cooper, Space.com, 11 May 2026

Definition of traitorous

Adjective

A matter of distance and brightness The stars that compose the Triangle — Vega, Altair, and Deneb — lie at very unequal distances from us, so their apparent brightness can give a misleading impression of their true luminosity.

— Joe Rao, Space.com, 10 Sep. 2026
Publishers don’t want irrelevant or misleading ads to appear on their media sources.

— Roman Vrublivskyi, Forbes.com, 10 Sep. 2026

Definition of misleading

Adjective

Lutnick made the inaccurate comment in response to a question about rising global bond yields during an interview on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Asheville, North Carolina.

— Miles J. Herszenhorn, USA Today, 3 Sep. 2026
The Roseville Police Department has been defending its use of the technology after a July report found more than 1,000 inaccurate license plate alerts generated by the system.

— Daniel Lempres, Sacbee.com, 2 Sep. 2026

Definition of inaccurate

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fall (to)

false

falsehood

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“False.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/false. Accessed 20 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of false

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