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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

Examples of false in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web One dog, a poodle named Peppa, was part of a political pasta bowl costume poking fun at former president Donald Trump's false claim that immigrants in an Ohio community are eating pets. Claire Thornton, USA TODAY, 20 Oct. 2024 Driving the news: Each day on the digital campaign trail has brought a torrent of false or misleading claims, often courtesy of partisan accounts with massive audiences. Zachary Basu, Axios, 19 Oct. 2024 The former president is still pressing his false claims about the 2020 election. Michael Kunzelman, Los Angeles Times, 19 Oct. 2024 After the Houston floods in 2017, false rumors that immigration officials would investigate citizenship status led many people to refuse aid. Patrik Jonsson, The Christian Science Monitor, 18 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for false 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'false.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Thesaurus Entries Near false

Cite this Entry

“False.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/false. Accessed 2 Nov. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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