false-positive
Medicine/Medical.
a test result that is incorrect because the test indicated a condition or finding that does not exist: a false-positive for syphilis.
a person who receives this test result.
any screening test result that incorrectly detected or classified a person or thing: A false-positive at the airport could cause you to miss your flight.
a person or thing identified by such a test.
pertaining to or being a false-positive: The test has a false-positive rate of 4%.
Origin of false-positive
1- Compare false-negative.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use false-positive in a sentence
Nine years ago, heads rolled after the BBC was found guilty of making a false positive, of running an inaccurate story.
It is much less likely to produce a false positive, adds Dr. Thompson, than an initial screening test would be.
Whitney Houston’s Death: Xanax and Alcohol, Lethal Duo | Casey Schwartz | February 13, 2012 | THE DAILY BEASTIt's called "the paradox of the false positive," and it's a doozy.
Little Brother | Cory Doctorow
British Dictionary definitions for false positive
a result in a medical test that wrongly indicates the presence of the condition being tested for
a person from whom such a result is obtained
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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