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

• 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

Blount deposited money into the account until April 2022, when the bank shut it down and reversed over $70,000 worth of the fraudulent deposits, prosecutors said. —Olivia Lloyd, Miami Herald, 3 Sep. 2025

Luke Bird cited a July report from Meta showing the company deleted 10 million fake accounts, less than 1% of fraudulent users. —Natalie Eilbert, jsonline.com, 3 Sep. 2025

Weaknesses in internal controls increase the risk that the company’s financials are fraudulent and/or misleading. —David Trainer, Forbes.com, 3 Sep. 2025

Linda Polk was arrested in April, accused of obtaining fraudulent power of attorney over the man and his wife, according to Macomb County authorities. —Christina Hall, Freep.com, 3 Sep. 2025

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