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

It's estimated that California lost more than $20 billion to pandemic unemployment fraud when EDD issued billions in fraudulent payments to criminals while out-of-work Californians struggled to get an EDD rep on the phone, let alone get paid. —Julie Watts, CBS News, 27 Jan. 2026

Abdul-Malik McClain, who the DOJ says was responsible for at least three dozen fraudulent applications, pleaded guilty in June 2024 to one count of felony mail fraud. —Ryan Kartje, Los Angeles Times, 26 Jan. 2026

Prosecutors said Greenlee used her position to steal from the Morgan Hill business’s bank account, writing fraudulent checks and opening two credit cards in her name. —Jason Green, Mercury News, 23 Jan. 2026

Also, certain purchases won’t count toward earning the intro bonus, including balance transfers, cash advances, lottery tickets, race track wagers, interest, fraudulent charges, fees (including the annual fee) and other cash-like transactions. —Jason Stauffer, CNBC, 23 Jan. 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