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

One plaintiff claimed their debit card was hit with $80 in fraudulent charges. — Chase Jordan july 7, Charlotte Observer, 7 July 2026

That means the information used in the first fraudulent application may still be available for the next one. — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 4 July 2026

Alberto Fujimori of Peru wins a third term in a runoff election that is widely viewed as fraudulent. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 6 July 2026

Peters, of course, said that since ballots weren’t hand-counted, the results were — again — subjected to fraudulent voter machines altering the tally. — The Denver Post Editorial Board, Denver Post, 7 July 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