FALSE Synonyms: 317 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: 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

Q: 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

Q: 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

Q: 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

Q: 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

Q: 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

false

adjective

ˈfȯls

Definition of false

as in erroneous

not being in agreement with what is true early reports about the explosion contained much false information

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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

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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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

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 The tax evasion charge involved concealing income and filing false tax returns for that year, according to the indictment. — Christopher Harris, CBS News, 6 Oct. 2026 The false gharial gets its moniker from its resemblance to the Indian gharial, despite being a different species. — Taylor Nicioli, CNN Money, 6 Oct. 2026 Famously — or, more infamously in the wake of the company’s downfall — Holmes built Theranos on the false promise that hundreds of medical tests could be run from a single drop of blood. — Jordan Moreau, Variety, 5 Oct. 2026 Black, who is a vice president at a software development company, is aware that chatbots sometimes hallucinate — that's when chatbots respond to prompts with false, misleading or fabricated answers. — Maham Javaid, NPR, 5 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for false

Recent Examples of Synonyms for false

Adjective

Instead, Denver retained possession and capitalized on the erroneous call to win.

— Bobby Burack OutKick, FOXNews.com, 6 Oct. 2026
That a reporter or two heard of this normal process led to the erroneous inference that a change of leadership is imminent.

— Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Fortune, 1 Oct. 2026

Definition of erroneous

Adjective

Floral garlands, vases, faux windows, buckets, and even a trompe-l’oeil lion skin evoke an atmosphere quite far removed from the typical imagery found in houses in this part of Italy.

— Elena Dallorso, Architectural Digest, 6 Oct. 2026
This + a faux-fur coat + beloved leather pants + a 44-percent-off deal = your most head-turning (and wallet-sparing) ensemble to date.

— Stacia Datskovska, Footwear News, 5 Oct. 2026

Definition of faux

Adjective

There was a modest 5% rise in counterfeit sports cards, yet a 125% increase in fake Pokémon cards.

— Bob Woods, CNBC, 10 Oct. 2026
In 2019, Italian police arrested three people in a scheme to sell at least 11,000 counterfeit bottles of Tignanello in Italy, Germany and Belgium, labeled as 2009, 2010 and 2011 vintages but filled with low-quality wine.

— Catherina Gioino, Fortune, 9 Oct. 2026

Definition of counterfeit

Adjective

Carson and Guillermo stepped onto the dance floor with sunglasses and A-list celebrity swagger as flashes from mock photographers filled the introduction.

— Michael Saponara, Billboard, 7 Oct. 2026
In another thread, Strong’s Zuckerberg twitches with irritation through mock congressional hearings, with a PR team headed by crisis management specialist Raya (Wunmi Mosaku), whose task is to make the Facebook CEO likable.

— David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 7 Oct. 2026

Definition of mock

Adjective

Prosecutors allege the crew printed fraudulent UPS labels to reroute boxes nationwide.

— Glenn Taylor, Footwear News, 8 Oct. 2026
Rush’s fraudulent conduct cost the federal government approximately $194 million in total losses, according to the Justice Department.

— Michael Kunzelman, Los Angeles Times, 7 Oct. 2026

Definition of fraudulent

Adjective

Telemachus’ lone contribution is killing Melanthius, the traitorous Ithacan farmhand, thus preventing him from continuing to arm the suitors.

— Marlow Stern, Variety, 17 July 2026
And at the very center of Hell is Satan himself, the traitorous Archangel Lucifer, depicted as a monstrous creature with wings and three heads.

— Keith Cooper, Space.com, 11 May 2026

Definition of traitorous

Adjective

The women, many of whom were first-time surrogates, say they were given misleading or incomplete information about the couple’s family situation and intentions.

— ABC News, ABC News, 6 Oct. 2026
Low primary turnout can also lead to unexpected results – and these results can create misleading perceptions of the election.

— Robert Boatright, The Conversation, 6 Oct. 2026

Definition of misleading

Adjective

But at his worst, Willis has been a mess - error-prone, inaccurate, unable at times to spot open receivers.

— Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 11 Oct. 2026
Some of his misses were simply inaccurate balls with a clean pocket; others were caused by A&M’s pressure.

— PJ Green, Kansas City Star, 10 Oct. 2026

Definition of inaccurate

Browse Nearby Words

fall (to)

false

falsehood

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Cite this Entry

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“False.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/false. Accessed 14 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of false

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