fraudulent

adjective

fraud·​u·​lent ˈfrȯ-jə-lənt 

: characterized by, based on, or done by fraud : deceitful

fraudulent use of a credit card

fraudulent claims for unemployment compensation

—Wall Street Journal

fraudulently adverb

fraudulentness noun

Synonyms of fraudulent

• dishonest
• false
• deceptive

Examples of fraudulent in a Sentence

Corrupt leaders were chosen in a fraudulent election.

fraudulent use of a credit card

the victim of a fraudulent scheme

Recent Examples on the Web

In some reports, customers said the salesperson instructed them to authorize charges flagged by their bank as potentially fraudulent. — Monika Evstatieva, NPR, 14 Oct. 2026

Debanking can also occur for legal and regulatory reasons, such as if a bank detects potentially fraudulent activity or an account is overdrawn. — Aimee Picchi, CBS News, 14 Oct. 2026

Asked during the news conference how much money taxpayers could expect to recover, Assistant Attorney General Colin McDonald acknowledged that fraudulent proceeds are sometimes spent before investigators can retrieve them. — Brittany Miller, FOXNews.com, 14 Oct. 2026

The lawsuit alleges breach of fiduciary duty, breach of contract, and fraudulent concealment. — Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 13 Oct. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

fraudulent

adjective

fraud·​u·​lent ˈfrȯ-jə-lənt 

: based on or done by fraud

fraudulently adverb

fraudulentness noun

Legal Definition

fraudulent

adjective

fraud·​u·​lent

: characterized by, based on, or done by fraud compare deceptive, false, misleading

fraudulently adverb