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as in fraudulent
marked by, based on, or done by the use of dishonest methods to acquire something of value false advertising that claimed that the vegetables were organically grown when they weren't

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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Synonym Chooser

How is the word false different from other adjectives like it?

Some common synonyms of false are disloyal, faithless, perfidious, traitorous, and treacherous. While all these words mean "untrue to what should command one's fidelity or allegiance," false stresses the fact of failing to be true in any manner ranging from fickleness to cold treachery.

betrayed by false friends

When is disloyal a more appropriate choice than false?

Although the words disloyal and false have much in common, disloyal implies a lack of complete faithfulness to a friend, cause, leader, or country.

disloyal to their country

When is it sensible to use faithless instead of false?

The words faithless and false can be used in similar contexts, but faithless applies to any failure to keep a promise or pledge or any breach of allegiance or loyalty.

faithless allies

How are the words perfidious and faithless related as synonyms of false?

Perfidious adds to faithless the implication of an incapacity for fidelity or reliability.

a perfidious double-crosser

Where would traitorous be a reasonable alternative to false?

In some situations, the words traitorous and false are roughly equivalent. However, traitorous implies either actual treason or a serious betrayal of trust.

traitorous acts punishable by death

When can treacherous be used instead of false?

The synonyms treacherous and false are sometimes interchangeable, but treacherous implies readiness to betray trust or confidence.

a treacherous adviser

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of false This makes the false snake from Elgol the first official member of the family. Irene Wright, Miami Herald, 3 Oct. 2025 Halligan last week indicted former FBI Director James Comey on charges of making a false statement and obstruction related to his testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee in 2020, after Trump called on her to bring cases against Comey and others. Alexander Mallin, ABC News, 3 Oct. 2025 Yet the film is smart enough not to suggest easy optimism or offer false hope. David Fear, Rolling Stone, 2 Oct. 2025 The individual appears to have provided fraudulent documentation and a false identity to enroll. Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, FOXNews.com, 2 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for false
Recent Examples of Synonyms for false
Adjective
  • Engineers outfitted the device with a heater to melt ice in the winter, a customization that should improve accuracy during Arizona’s freeze-thaw cycles that have long created erroneous measurements.
    Hayleigh Evans, AZCentral.com, 2 Oct. 2025
  • Vedra and other debt law experts said a high rate of default judgments indicates a system that favors the pursuers over the pursued — and increases the chances someone will be harmed by an erroneous bill.
    Rae Ellen Bichell, Fortune, 29 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • The elastic waistband stretches to move with you, and the pants come with faux buttons to make slipping them on a breeze.
    Nicol Natale, PEOPLE, 2 Oct. 2025
  • The Philadelphia Eagles create a faux baseball game, Travis Kelce and Tyreek Hill used to mimic a potato sack race, and so on.
    Tyler Palmateer, Nashville Tennessean, 2 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • Besides a brand-new design, the cards also have enhanced anti-counterfeit protections.
    Hannah Poukish, Sacbee.com, 2 Oct. 2025
  • Kamaitis was age 31 when he was mentioned in a Free Press article about the increasing circulation of counterfeit automotive parts being a concern for federal officials and automakers as well as a safety risk.
    Christina Hall, Freep.com, 2 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • Flight 11 will target those same two splashdown zones, and Ship will aim to deploy another eight mock Starlinks, SpaceX wrote in Monday's update.
    Mike Wall, Space.com, 30 Sep. 2025
  • Recently, Taylor invited her daughter’s class to Euronews Albania for a behind-the-scenes look at how television is made, where the children took part in mock interviews and explored the studio with wide-eyed excitement.
    Tereza Shkurtaj, PEOPLE, 28 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • Throughout the enrollment process, there was no reason to believe the official birth certificate was fraudulent.
    Marni Rose McFall, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Oct. 2025
  • One plaintiff claimed their debit card was allegedly used for $80 in fraudulent charges.
    Chase Jordan October 2, Charlotte Observer, 2 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • Clarisse looks intimidating climbing out of a boat, as does Bushnell’s traitorous Luke, who wields a sharp-looking knife.
    Dessi Gomez, Deadline, 24 July 2025
  • There's a delicious whodunit aspect to it, too, as the list of five potentially traitorous suspects includes the operative's own high-profile wife (Cate Blanchett).
    Brian Truitt, USA Today, 4 July 2025
Adjective
  • Despite these accounts, Day offered a very different picture in an opinion piece published by The Oregonian on Sunday, arguing that national media coverage of Portland and its police paint a misleading and outdated picture.
    Greg Wehner, FOXNews.com, 6 Oct. 2025
  • The apparent protective effect of dopamine agonist drugs could also be misleading.
    Maria Morava, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • At the same time, social media sleuths shared inaccurate information and a man was detained after allegedly trying to drive through a barricade near the church.
    Dave Boucher, Freep.com, 29 Sep. 2025
  • Others were related to the actual content of the courses, such as a school that used a curriculum that included inaccurate information about permissible blood-alcohol levels for drivers and another school that provided students with answers to final exam questions in advance.
    William Melhado, Sacbee.com, 26 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“False.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/false. Accessed 8 Oct. 2025.

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