false

UK: /fɒls/, /fɔːls/ US: /fɔls/ ,(fôls)

Inflections of 'false' (adj):

falser

adj comparative

falsest

adj superlative

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026

false /fɔls/   adj., fals•er, fals•est. 

1. not true or correct;
   erroneous;
   wrong:
   a false statement.
2. uttering or declaring what is untrue;
   lying:
   a false witness.
3. not faithful or loyal:
   a false friend.
4. tending to deceive or mislead;
   deceptive:
   a false impression.
5. not genuine;
   counterfeit:
   [before a noun] a false name.
6. not real;
   used as a substitute or aid, esp. temporarily;
   artificial:
   [before a noun] false teeth.
7. based on mistaken, erroneous, or inconsistent impressions, ideas, or facts:
   [before a noun] false pride.
8. wrong or not correct in pitch, such as a musical note:
   [before a noun] He played several false notes.

false•ly, adv. 
false•ness, n. [uncountable]
Related Words

false is an adjective, falseness and falsity are nouns, falsify is a verb, falsely is an adverb:
His nervousness created a false impression during the job interview. She was discouraged by his falseness and cowardice. There was a good deal of falsity in the papers. He tried to falsify his passport. He was falsely accused of the murder.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026

false  (fôls), adj., fals•er, fals•est, adv. 
adj. 

1. not true or correct;
   erroneous:
   a false statement.
2. uttering or declaring what is untrue:
   a false witness.
3. not faithful or loyal;
   treacherous:
   a false friend.
4. tending to deceive or mislead;
   deceptive:
   a false impression.
5. not genuine;
   counterfeit.
6. based on mistaken, erroneous, or inconsistent impressions, ideas, or facts:
   false pride.
7. used as a substitute or supplement, esp. temporarily:
   false supports for a bridge.
8. Biology having a superficial resemblance to something that properly bears the name:
   the false acacia.
9. not properly, accurately, or honestly made, done, or adjusted:
   a false balance.
10. inaccurate in pitch, as a musical note.

adv. 

11. dishonestly;
    faithlessly;
    treacherously:
    Did he speak false against me?
12. Idioms play someone false, to betray someone;
    be treacherous or faithless.

• Latin
• Latin falsus feigned, false, origin, originally past participle of fallere to deceive; reinforced by or reborrowed from Anglo-French, Old French fals, feminine false
• Middle English, Old English fals bef. 1000

false′ly, adv. 
false′ness, n. 
Synonyms

• 1. mistaken, incorrect, wrong, untrue.
• 2. untruthful, lying, mendacious.
• 3. insincere, hypocritical, disingenuous, disloyal, unfaithful, inconstant, perfidious, traitorous.
• 4. misleading, fallacious.
• 5. artificial, spurious, bogus, forged.
  False, sham, counterfeit agree in referring to something that is not genuine.
  False is used mainly of imitations of concrete objects; it sometimes implies an intent to deceive:
  false teeth; false hair.
  Sham is rarely used of concrete objects and usually has the suggestion of intent to deceive:
  sham title; sham tears.
  Counterfeit always has the implication of cheating; it is used particularly of spurious imitation of coins, paper money, etc.

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

false / 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. (of a note, interval, etc) out of tune

adverb

1. in a false or dishonest manner (esp in the phrase play (someone) false)

Etymology: Old English fals, from Latin falsus, from fallere to deceive

ˈfalsely adverb

ˈfalseness noun