1
as in erroneous
not being in agreement with what is true
early reports about the explosion contained much false information
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
5
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
6
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
7
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in infidelity
lack of faithfulness especially to one's husband or wife
so that their love would never know a moment of falseness, Thomas Jefferson promised his dying wife that he would never remarry
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in betrayal
the act or fact of violating the trust or confidence of another
she could not believe that her so-called best friend could ever be guilty of such falseness
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in deception
the quality or state of being false
the falseness of your reasoning is so blatant that it's no wonder you reached that absurd conclusion
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Rebecca Jennings, Vulture, 11 June 2025
Under Pennsylvania law, Clary must allege specifics about the supposedly defamatory words, including the speaker, the date, to whom the statement was made and an assertion the statement was, in fact, false.
—Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 11 June 2025
The decision to deploy Dembele as a false nine for a 3-1 home win over Lyon in mid-December proved the spark for a stupendous run of goal-scoring form in which the France international racked up 27 goals in only 22 appearances.
—Tom Williams, New York Times, 30 May 2025
Their accountant filed two false corporate tax returns, claiming one of the couple’s firms earned no money in 2015 and 2016.
—Howard Gleckman, Forbes.com, 30 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for false
Adjective
One thing Nic did a really good job at was giving me false hope.
—Rebecca Jennings, Vulture, 11 June 2025
Under Pennsylvania law, Clary must allege specifics about the supposedly defamatory words, including the speaker, the date, to whom the statement was made and an assertion the statement was, in fact, false.
—Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 11 June 2025
The decision to deploy Dembele as a false nine for a 3-1 home win over Lyon in mid-December proved the spark for a stupendous run of goal-scoring form in which the France international racked up 27 goals in only 22 appearances.
—Tom Williams, New York Times, 30 May 2025
Their accountant filed two false corporate tax returns, claiming one of the couple’s firms earned no money in 2015 and 2016.
—Howard Gleckman, Forbes.com, 30 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for false
Recent Examples of Synonyms for false
Adjective
-
But at these later stages, none of the remaining instances were in an erroneous state.—
John Timmer,
ArsTechnica,
6 June 2025
-
Meta said that its new policies had helped reduce erroneous content removals in the US by half without broadly exposing users to more offensive content than before the changes.—
Paresh Dave,
Wired News,
29 May 2025
Adjective
-
These slippers are available in men’s and women’s sizes, and are designed with a suede upper and a plush faux fur lining that yields a buttery-soft feel.—
Alicia Geigel,
Southern Living,
3 June 2025
-
The designer of the faux fur coat Lopez wore in the photos reportedly reposted the image.—
Brian Niemietz,
New York Daily News,
20 May 2025
Adjective
-
Last month, federal agents seized 1,730 pounds of methamphetamine, 238 pounds of cocaine, 257 pounds of powdered fentanyl and about 360,000 counterfeit fentanyl pills from the home.—
Jasmine Mendez,
Los Angeles Times,
3 June 2025
-
Bad actors are increasingly impersonating high-profile creators using fake accounts, deepfakes or counterfeit content to scam audiences.—
Murad Salikhov,
Forbes.com,
30 May 2025
Adjective
-
The couple misspelled words a few times during their mock challenge against him.—
Joey Nolfi Published,
EW.com,
2 June 2025
-
For instance, Martinez explained, the program provides an experiential understanding of the workings of city government in a day when participants take on roles in a mock city council meeting with the mayor.—
Nicole Gregory,
Oc Register,
30 May 2025
Adjective
-
If someone submits a fraudulent claim, instead of losing insurance, their personal trust score would be lowered, which would impact insurance costs.—
Robert Clark,
Forbes.com,
12 June 2025
-
To report a fake social media post, fraudulent text or scam, first report the specific post or profile on the social media platform itself, the center said.—
Angela Rodriguez,
Sacbee.com,
5 June 2025
Adjective
-
Michael Fassbender plays a British intelligence officer tasked with finding who leaked a top-secret software program and betrayed their country, and the list of five potentially traitorous suspects includes his own high-profile wife (Cate Blanchett).—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
10 May 2025
-
Smith made out their former collaborators to be ungrateful and traitorous, and the kids weren't given the space to question her command.—
Zoey Lyttle,
People.com,
18 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
These include infidelities, unspoken longings, and thorny questions of land inheritance.—
The New Yorker,
New Yorker,
2 June 2025
-
This places the blame on the victim rather than the perpetrator of infidelity.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes.com,
2 June 2025
Noun
-
Financial elder abuse victims Financial elder abuse victims suffer affects to their psychological, emotional and physical well-being, such as feelings of betrayal, fear, guilt, depression and anxiety, according to the grand jury report.—
Rosalio Ahumada,
Sacbee.com,
5 June 2025
-
There’s a subtle sense that taking pleasure in domesticity might be a betrayal of my values—as if nurturing children, or even enjoying something as benign as baking, plays into oppressive tropes.—
Samantha Mann,
Time,
5 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“False.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/false. Accessed 15 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share