false positive

Definition of false positive

: a result that shows something is present when it really is not The test produced too many false positives to be reliable.

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“False positive.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/false%20positive. Accessed 31 May. 2020.

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false-positive

adjective

variants: or false positive

Medical Definition of false-positive

: relating to or being a test result or an individual that is erroneously classified in a positive category (as of diagnosis) because of imperfect testing methods or procedures a false-positive pregnancy test … one must bear in mind the cost of needless medical procedures generated by the huge number of false-positive mammograms …— David Plotkin, The Atlantic Monthly, June 1996 — compare false-negative