Loading page
say it: fawls
false is an adjective and adverb meaning "not in accordance with the fact or reality or actuality". It carries 11 recorded senses.
not in accordance with the fact or reality or actuality
“gave false testimony under oath”
“false tales of bravery”
inappropriate to reality or facts
“delusive faith in a wonder drug”
“delusive expectations”
“false hopes”
not genuine or real; being an imitation of the genuine article
“it isn't fake anything; it's real synthetic fur”
“faux pearls”
“false teeth”
“decorated with imitation palm leaves”
“a purse of simulated alligator hide”
adopted in order to deceive
“an assumed name”
“an assumed cheerfulness”
“a fictitious address”
“fictive sympathy”
“a pretended interest”
“a put-on childish voice”
“sham modesty”
(used especially of persons) not dependable in devotion or affection; unfaithful
“a false friend”
“when lovers prove untrue”
in a disloyal and faithless manner
“he behaved treacherously”
“his wife played him false”
Forms marked · are formed by the regular rule rather than recorded in the source data. English keeps a few hundred irregulars and the rest follow the pattern, so the rule is right far more often than not — but it is a rule, and the mark says so.
Definitions, synonyms and semantic relations for false come from Princeton University’s WordNet. The pronunciation comes from the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. Commonness is measured against a corpus of everyday English. Full sources and licences.