...with no clear knowledge of the truth or falsity of the issues involved.
Synonyms: lie, fraud, cheating, deception More Synonyms of false
Synonyms: untruth, deceit, dishonesty, inaccuracy More Synonyms of false
2. adjective [usually ADJECTIVE noun]
You use false to describe objects which are artificial but which are intended to look like the real thing or to be used instead of the real thing.
...the items she'd secreted in the false bottom of her suitcase.
...a set of false teeth.
I was wearing false eyelashes and a sweater two sizes too small.
3. adjective
If you describe a person or their behaviour as false, you are criticizing them for being insincere or for hiding their real feelings.
[disapproval]
She bowed her head and smiled in false modesty.
'Thank you,' she said with false enthusiasm.
Even to himself the geniality rang false and he came to a stop.
falselyadverb [ADVERB adjective, ADVERB after verb]
He was falsely jovial, with his booming, mirthless laugh.
'This food is divine,' they murmur, falsely.
More Synonyms of false
false in British English
(fɔːls)
adjective
1.
not in accordance with the truth or facts
2.
irregular or invalid
a false start
3.
untruthful or lying
a false account
4.
not genuine, real, or natural; artificial; fake
false eyelashes
5.
being or intended to be misleading or deceptive
a false rumour
6.
disloyal or treacherous
a false friend
7.
based on mistaken or irrelevant ideas or facts
false pride
a false argument
8. (prenominal)
(esp of plants) superficially resembling the species specified
false hellebore
9.
serving to supplement or replace, often temporarily
a false keel
10. music
a.
(of a note, interval, etc) out of tune
b.
(of the interval of a perfect fourth or fifth) decreased by a semitone
c.
(of a cadence) interrupted or imperfect
adverb
11.
in a false or dishonest manner (esp in the phrase play (someone) false)
Derived forms
falsely (ˈfalsely)
adverb
falseness (ˈfalseness)
noun
Word origin
Old English fals, from Latin falsus, from fallere to deceive
false in American English
(fɔls)
adjectiveWord forms: ˈfalser or ˈfalsest
1.
not true; in error; incorrect; mistaken
a false argument
2.
untruthful; lying; dishonest
a false witness
3.
disloyal; unfaithful
a false friend
4.
deceiving or meant to deceive; misleading
a false scent
5.
not real; artificial; counterfeit
false teeth
6.
not properly so named; deceptively resembling
false jasmine
7.
based on wrong or mistaken ideas
false pride
8. Mechanics
temporary, nonessential, or added on for protection, disguise, etc.
a false drawer
9. Music
pitched inaccurately
adverbWord forms: ˈfalser or ˈfalsest
10.
in a false manner
SIMILAR WORDS: ˈfaithless
Idioms:
play someone false
put in a false position
SYNONYMY NOTE: false, in this comparison, refers to anything that is not in essence that which it purportsto be and may or may not connote deliberate deception [false hair]; sham refers to an imitation or simulation of something and usually connotes intent todeceive [sham piety]; counterfeit and the colloquial , bogus apply to a very careful imitation and always imply intent to deceive or defraud [counterfeit, or bogus, money]; fake1 is a less formal term for any person or thing that is not genuine [a fake doctor, chimney, etc.]
OPPOSITES: genuine, real
Derived forms
falsely (ˈfalsely)
adverb
falseness (ˈfalseness)
noun
Word origin
ME < OFr < fals < L falsus, pp. of fallere, to deceive: see fail
More idioms containing
false
a false dawn
sail under false colours
Examples of 'false' in a sentence
false
She is refusing to meet until provided with details about the false claims.
The Sun (2016)
Experts also claim the use of chemo with a low chance of success can raise false hopes.
The Sun (2016)
Other accusers were also exposed for making false claims.
Times, Sunday Times (2017)
Don't be lulled into a false sense of security.
The Sun (2016)
We also know that some false claims will emerge, especially where there is the prospect of compensation.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
They appear to be lulled into a false sense of security and save energy by ceasing to emit high frequency sounds that bounce off objects.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
I don't want to give false hope but there have been advances in this field.
The Sun (2016)
Each defendant is alleged to have known'the tax advantages were dependent on a false account being given '.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
We all feel both real guilt and false guilt.
Christianity Today (2000)
Managers can use the new technologies to defend their drivers against false or malicious claims.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
That sounds like false modesty to us.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
The police arrested him and he gave a false name.
James Fergusson KANDAHAR COCKNEY: A Tale of Two Worlds (2004)
There are many tests that give false results.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
My client is seeking substantial damages for unlawful arrest and false imprisonment.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
There are no indications that this is a false note.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
To have false information removed you simply have to make your case to a site administrator.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
On the face of it this claim about certainty seems plainly false.
Wood, David Philosophy at the Limit (1990)
This was much more than a false hope.
Zindell, David The Broken God (1993)
It has got to be about real hope not false promise.
The Sun (2015)
False or malicious claims account for just three per cent of allegations.
The Sun (2007)
He had no false modesty about the poems.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
The hotel room had been booked under a false name and using stolen credit card details.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
The phrase is often misleading and can give a false sense of security.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
The case was blighted by false information given by officials.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
The target price often provides you with a false sense of security.
Mitchel Zacks AHEAD OF THE MARKET (2003)
There have been false hopes along the way.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
Now a court in Argentina is considering a writ alleging false imprisonment.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
Ring out the false, ring in the true.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
The jury will continue deliberations today on whether they are guilty of recklessly making a misleading, false or deceptive promise.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
It seems like false advertising.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
In other languages
false
British English: false /fɔːls/ ADJECTIVE
If something is false, it is incorrect, untrue, or mistaken.
The President was given false information.
American English: false
Arabic: زَائِف
Brazilian Portuguese: falso
Chinese: 假的
Croatian: lažan
Czech: nesprávný falešný
Danish: falsk
Dutch: vals
European Spanish: falso
Finnish: väärä
French: faux
German: falsch
Greek: ψευδής
Italian: falso
Japanese: 偽りの
Korean: 그릇된
Norwegian: falsk
Polish: fałszywy
European Portuguese: falso
Romanian: greșit
Russian: ложный
Latin American Spanish: falso
Swedish: falsk
Thai: เท็จ
Turkish: sahte
Ukrainian: хибний
Vietnamese: sai
All related terms of 'false'
False Bay
a bay in SW South Africa , near the Cape of Good Hope
false alarm
When you think something dangerous is about to happen , but then discover that you were mistaken , you can say that it was a false alarm .
false-card
to play a misleading card , esp a high loser , in order to deceive an opponent
false dawn
zodiacal light appearing just before sunrise
false flag
a flag to which one is not entitled , flown esp in order to deceive
false front
a fa çade falsifying the size, finish , or importance of a building, esp. one having a humble purpose or cheap construction
false fruit
a fruit derived from the separate carpels of one flower, the uniting of a cluster of flowers, or tissue other than the ovary ; pseudocarp
false joint
a joint formed by fibrous tissue bridging the gap between the two fragments of bone of an old fracture that have not united
false keel
an extension to the keel of a vessel either for protecting the keel from damage or for reducing leeway
false move
a mistake
false nine
a centre-forward who frequently retreats into midfield to become involved in creative play rather than concentrating solely on scoring goals
false oxlip
a similar and related plant that is a natural hybrid between the cowslip and primrose
false ribs
any of the lower five pairs of ribs in humans, attached behind to the thoracic vertebrae but in front not attached directly to the breastbone
false start
A false start is an attempt to start something, such as a speech , project , or plan , which fails because you were not properly prepared or ready to begin.
false step
an unwise action
false teeth
Your teeth are the hard white objects in your mouth, which you use for biting and chewing .
false topaz
→ another name for citrine
play false
to prove oneself unfair in one's dealings
ring false
to give the impression of being false
false acacia
the locust tree
false address
Your address is the number of the house, flat, or apartment and the name of the street and the town where you live or work.
false arrest
any unlawful detention or restraint of a person by one claiming legal power or authority
false bedding
layering within one or more beds in a series of rock strata that does not run parallel to the plane of stratification
false belief
If it is your belief that something is the case, it is your strong opinion that it is the case.
false bottom
a bottom , as of a box , between which and the real bottom there is a secret compartment
false bulrush
a tall reedlike marsh plant, Typha latifolia , with straplike leaves and flowers in long brown sausage-shaped spikes : family Typhaceae
false cirrus
a type of thick cirrus cloud spreading from the top of a cumulonimbus cloud
false colour
colour used in a computer or photographic display to help in interpreting the image , as in the use of red to show high temperatures and blue to show low temperatures in an infrared image converter
false colours
a flag to which one is not entitled , flown esp in order to deceive
false diamond
any of a number of semiprecious stones that resemble diamond , such as zircon and white topaz
false economy
an attempt to save money which actually leads to greater expense
false friend
a word or expression in one language that, because it resembles one in another language, is often wrongly taken to have the same meaning , for example , the French agenda which means diary , not agenda
false gavial
a SE Asian crocodile , Tomistoma schlegeli, similar to but smaller than the gavial
false-hearted
treacherous
false indigo
any of several North American shrubs belonging to the genus Amorpha , of the legume family, esp. A. fruticosa , having compound leaves with pinnate leaflets and long, dense clusters of purplish flowers
false saffron
a red dye used for cotton and for colouring foods and cosmetics , or a drug obtained from the florets of this plant
false vampire
any large insectivorous bat of the family Megadermatidae , of Africa, S and SE Asia, and Australia . They eat insects and small vertebrates but do not feed on blood
a false dawn
a situation in which you think that something is finally going to improve but it does not
false ankylosis
a joint formed by fibrous tissue bridging the gap between the two fragments of bone of an old fracture that have not united
false beginner
a language student who has some knowledge of a language, but who needs to start again from the beginning
false goldenrod
any plant of the genus Solidago , of North America, Europe, and Asia, having spikes made up of inflorescences of minute yellow florets : family Asteraceae ( composites )
false hellebore
any of various plants belonging to the genus Veratrum , especially V . viride , which has clusters of yellowish-green flowers and is the source of substances used in certain medicines and insecticides
false identity
Your identity is who you are.
false negative
a result in a medical test that wrongly indicates the absence of the condition being tested for
false position
a situation in which a person is forced to act or seems to be acting against his or her principles or interests
false positive
A false positive is a mistaken result of a scientific test. For example , if the result of a pregnancy test is a false positive, it indicates that a woman is pregnant when she is not.
false pregnancy
→ pseudocyesis
false pretences
If you do something under false pretences , you do it when people do not know the truth about you and your intentions .
false pretenses
deliberate misrepresentation of fact in speech or action in order to obtain another's property
false relation
a harmonic clash that occurs when a note in one part sounds simultaneously with or immediately before or after its chromatically altered ( sharpened or flattened ) equivalent appearing in another part