English Explanatory Dictionary

false

English dictionary entry

Meanings

adj
  1. Untrue, not factual, factually incorrect.
  2. Based on factually incorrect premises.
  3. Spurious, artificial.
  4. Of a state in Boolean logic that indicates a negative result.
  5. Uttering falsehood; dishonest or deceitful.
  6. Not faithful or loyal, as to obligations, allegiance, vows, etc.; untrue; treacherous.
  7. Not well founded; not firm or trustworthy; erroneous.
  8. Not essential or permanent, as parts of a structure which are temporary or supplemental.
  9. Used in the vernacular name of a species (or group of species) together with the name of another species to which it is similar in appearance.
  10. Out of tune.
verb
  1. To incorrectly decode noise as if it were a valid signal.
  2. To begin a race before being instructed to do so; to do a false start.
  3. To violate, to betray (a promise, an agreement, one’s faith, etc.).
  4. To counterfeit, to forge.
  5. To make false, to corrupt from something true or real.
adv
  1. In a dishonest and disloyal way; falsely.
noun
  1. One of two options on a true-or-false test, that not representing true.
adj
  1. one of two states of a Boolean variable; logic 0.

Pronunciation

/fɔːls/ /fɒls/ En-uk-false.ogg /fɔls/ /fɑls/ En-us-false.ogg

Word forms

false falser falsest falses falsing falsed more false most false

Etymology

From Middle English false, fals, from Old English fals (“false; counterfeit; fraudulent; wrong; mistaken”), from Latin falsus (“counterfeit, false; falsehood”), perfect passive participle of fallō (“deceive”). Reinforced in Middle English by Anglo-Norman and Old French fals, faus. Compare Scots fals, false, Saterland Frisian falsk, German falsch, Dutch vals, Swedish and Danish falsk; all from Latin falsus. Displaced native Middle English les, lese, from Old English lēas (“false”); See lease, leasing. Doublet of faux. The verb is from Middle English falsen, falsien, from Old French falser, from Latin falsō (“falsify”), itself also from falsus; compare French fausser (“to falsify, to distort”).

Synonyms

lease erroneous fallacious bastard counterfactual false fictitious inaccurate incorrect invented made up nonfactual nontrue nontruthful pseudo- spurious untrue untruthful unveracious unveridical wrong double-cross falsify sell out assfuck betray burn cop out cross out cross up do someone dirty do the dirty on go back on knife let down play someone false quisle renegade sell sell the pass sell down the river sell down stab in the back swike traitorize turncoat dastardly insincerely traitorwise dishonestly falsefully falsely illegitimately truthlessly underhand underhanded underhandedly unsincerely untruly untruthfully

Antonyms

real true

Derived words

bear false witness false 9 false acacia false action false advertising false alarm false albacore false alder false analogy false antechinus false arrest false attack false balance false banana false blue indigo false borrowing false bottom false buttonweed falsecard false chanterelle false cirrus false cognate false colour false conception false consciousness false cousin false croup false cypress false daisy false dandelion false dawn false dichotomy false dilemma false documentary falsedom false drop false easting false economy false equivalence false eyelash false eyelashes false face falseface false fire false-flag false flag false flagged false-flagger false flagger false flagging false flat false flax false foxglove false friend false fruit falseful false galena false gavial false gharial false grip
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