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

• crooked
• deceitful
• defrauding
• dishonest
• double-dealing
• false

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

Noon in the 1800 block of South Bascom Avenue: Someone stole the victim’s credit cards and cell phone and later made several fraudulent charges. —Anne Gelhaus, The Mercury News, 12 Nov. 2024

Cash App is expected to pay out up to $15 million in a settlement over two data security incidents and company practices around unauthorized account access and fraudulent transactions. —Kate Irwin, PCMAG, 11 Nov. 2024

In all, fishy, fraudulent practices make domestic conservation and ecological monitoring more difficult and can enable unsustainable practices elsewhere. —Lauren Leffer, Popular Science, 6 Nov. 2024

So far, Mancuso’s office said 16 applications submitted by the company have been determined to be fraudulent. —Zach Schonfeld, The Hill, 5 Nov. 2024

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