FALSE Synonyms: 317 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: 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

Q: 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

Q: 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

Q: 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

Q: 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

Q: 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

false

adjective

ˈfȯls

Definition of false next

as in erroneous

not being in agreement with what is true early reports about the explosion contained much false information

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in faux

being such in appearance only and made with or manufactured from usually cheaper materials George Washington's false teeth were not made of wood but of elephant ivory and cow's teeth

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as in counterfeit

being such in appearance only and made or manufactured with the intention of committing fraud arrested for selling false ID cards to teenagers

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as in mock

lacking in natural or spontaneous quality so much of the sympathy that the widow received was false and hypocritical, since it came from people who never liked her husband in the first place

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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

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as in traitorous

not true in one's allegiance to someone or something false friends who deserted the prizefighter when all his money was gone

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as in misleading

tending or having power to deceive it turned out that the con man had made false promises of marriage to a dozen women

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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 Salene was charged with Travel Act bribery and making false statements. —

Carlos E. Castañeda, CBS News, 6 Mar. 2026 Screenshots of the software appeared on right-wing websites that promoted false theories that the 2020 election was fraudulent. —

Laura Romero, ABC News, 5 Mar. 2026 There’s also genfo, a warm wheat porridge with spiced butter, and bula, a vegetarian mash made from the stem of the false-banana tree. —

John Metcalfe, Mercury News, 5 Mar. 2026 The bipartisan measure would add a new source of revenue by requiring some monetary penalties collected from settlements in cases of fraud and false claims against the federal government to be deposited into the VOCA fund until fiscal year 2029. —

Maddy Keyes, The Frontier, 5 Mar. 2026 See All Example Sentences for false

Recent Examples of Synonyms for false

Adjective

This story has been updated to correct erroneous information originally released by the city of Radcliff.

— Leo Bertucci, Louisville Courier Journal, 3 Mar. 2026
This was due to erroneous data provided by Dallas County, the Texas Secretary of State’s office told Hearst Newspapers.

— Bayliss Wagner, Austin American Statesman, 3 Mar. 2026

Definition of erroneous

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fall (to)

false

falsehood

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“False.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/false. Accessed 11 Mar. 2026.

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Last Updated: 11 Mar 2026 - Updated example sentences

Synonyms of false

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