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false

[fawls]

Example Sentences Origin

adjective

not true or correct; erroneous: a false statement.

uttering or declaring what is untrue: a false witness.

not faithful or loyal; treacherous: a false friend.

tending to deceive or mislead; deceptive: a false impression.

not genuine; counterfeit.

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based on mistaken, erroneous, or inconsistent impressions, ideas, or facts: false pride.

used as a substitute or supplement, especially temporarily: false supports for a bridge.

Biology. having a superficial resemblance to something that properly bears the name: the false acacia.

not properly, accurately, or honestly made, done, or adjusted: a false balance.

10.

inaccurate in pitch, as a musical note.

COLLAPSE

adverb

11.

dishonestly; faithlessly; treacherously: Did he speak false against me?

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False is always a great word to know.

So is life history. Does it mean:

the series of living phenomena exhibited by an organism in the course of its development from inception to death

the science of heredity, dealing with characteristics of related organisms resulting from the interaction of their genes and the environment

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Idiom

12.

play someone false, to betray someone; be treacherous or faithless.

Origin:
before 1000; Middle English, Old English fals < Latin falsus feigned, false, orig. past participle of fallere to deceive; reinforced by or reborrowed from Anglo-French, Old French fals, feminine false < Latin

Related forms

false·ly, adverb

false·ness, noun

half-false, adjective

qua·si-false, adjective

qua·si-false·ly, adverb

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.

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Link To FALSE

Example Sentences

False claims still pervade the supplements industry.

There are also charges of bounced checks, false advertising and unethical business practices.

Subjects were given a memory test known as the false fame paradigm, in which they were asked to recite a list of unfamiliar names.

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Collins

World English Dictionary

false (fɔːls)

—*adj*
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.	music
	a. (of a note, interval, etc) out of tune
	b. (of the interval of a perfect fourth or fifth) decreased by a semitone
	c. (of a cadence) interrupted or imperfect

—*adv*
11.	in a false or dishonest manner (esp in the phrase play (someone) false)

[Old English fals, from Latin falsus, from fallere to deceive]

'falsely

—*adv*

'falseness

—n

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline

Word Origin & History

false

c.1200, from O.Fr. fals, faus, from L. falsus "deceived, erroneous, mistaken," pp. of fallere "deceive, disappoint," of uncertain origin. Adopted into other Gmc. languages (cf. Ger. falsch, Dan. falsk), though English is the only one in which the active sense of "deceitful" (a secondary sense in L.)

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has predominated. Related: Falsely. Falsies "padded brassiere" first recorded 1943.

COLLAPSE

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