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

Relevance

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 They are charged with crimes including making false statements on a naturalization application and submitting fraudulent voter registrations. — Arkansas Online, 20 Oct. 2026 In regulated work, the gap between a miss and a false certainty is enormous, and a single accuracy number hides it. — Murali Rajendran, Forbes.com, 20 Oct. 2026 Adams, usually so conciliatory, plainly voices her disgust with the unethical Mexican clinic which gave McQueen false hope, and side-eyes his late-in-life turn to Christianity. — Hadley Hall Meares, Vanity Fair, 20 Oct. 2026 Both claims were true enough to be useful and false enough to be imperial. — Niall Ferguson, Foreign Affairs, 20 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for false

Recent Examples of Synonyms for false

Adjective

Bisignano, a former Wall Street CEO who has been overhauling how the agency operates, also said SSA was working to fix erroneous records.

— Fernanda Tronco, Fortune, 20 Oct. 2026
In his own review of the case, Mandell failed to flag an erroneous jury instruction that four years later would lead to the conviction being overturned.

— Samantha Melamed, ProPublica, 13 Oct. 2026

Definition of erroneous

Adjective

Her nose was also dotted with the faux freckles that were scattered across the bridge.

— Kaleigh Werner, Footwear News, 19 Oct. 2026
Zebra tablecloths and napkins completed the safari theme, and the walls were decorated with faux magazine covers of Bradfield and his partner, auctioneer William Featherby.

— Richard Johnson, New York Daily News, 18 Oct. 2026

Definition of faux

Adjective

Researchers found that some counterfeit devices even reported legitimate looking Samsung model identifiers.

— Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 23 Oct. 2026
San Francisco police said cychlorphine, estimated to be 10 times estimated more powerful than fentanyl, can be found in counterfeit pills designed to look like Xanax, Adderall and Oxycontin.

— Carlos E. Castañeda, CBS News, 21 Oct. 2026

Definition of counterfeit

Adjective

Federal authorities said her husband and several other individuals stole millions of dollars from the casino by creating fraudulent credit vouchers.

— Sergio Candido, CBS News, 22 Oct. 2026
Malek also faces charges for allegedly submitting fraudulent Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan applications in 2021.

— Louis Casiano, FOXNews.com, 22 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

Meta argued the state failed to prove misleading statements about privacy and that content moderation actually harmed New Mexicans.

— ABC News, ABC News, 21 Oct. 2026
Meta argued that New Mexico failed to prove that the tech giant's executives made misleading statements about privacy and that its content moderation practices harmed state residents.

— Aimee Picchi, CBS News, 21 Oct. 2026

Definition of misleading

Browse Nearby Words

fall (to)

false

falsehood

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“False.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/false. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of false

adjective

Synonym Chooser

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

milieu

Popular in Grammar & Usage

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Popular in Wordplay

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'

'Za' and 9 Other Words to Help You Win at SCRABBLE

Popular

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Games & Quizzes