fraudulent
Americanadjective
-
characterized by, involving, or proceeding from fraud, as actions, enterprise, methods, or gains.
a fraudulent scheme to evade taxes.
-
given to or using fraud, as a person; cheating; dishonest.
- Synonyms:
- unscrupulous, underhanded, crooked
-
false or deceiving; phony; misleading.
They’ve concocted a series of fraudulent pretexts for the invasion that collapse instantly on examination.
adjective
-
acting with or having the intent to deceive
-
relating to or proceeding from fraud or dishonest action
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of fraudulent
First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English, from Latin fraudulentus; see fraud, -ulent
Explanation
Something fraudulent is intentionally false and meant to harm or deceive. That email message from the Sultan of Brunei offering you millions of dollars just might be fraudulent. From the fact that the word fraudulent is frequently teamed with the word scheme, you can get the idea that something fraudulent is sneaky, snarky, and just plain wrong. A fraudulent scheme is one designed to gain something at the expense of someone else. It might be small — trying to use an expired coupon — or bigger — lying on your taxes. Whatever its form, planning something fraudulent is cheating, and it's wrong.
Vocabulary lists containing fraudulent
Fake It 'Til You Make It: Synonyms for "False"
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"The Ransom of Red Chief" by O. Henry
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"Bones" Producer's Lawsuit Full of Great Vocabulary
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Lyle Cherneff: Maryland historian Richard Paul Fugate estimates that between 3,000 and 4,000 children, in the first weeks after emancipation alone, were re-enslaved through these fraudulent indenture contracts.
From Slate ● Jul. 27, 2026
In this case, the babies' birth certificates have been proven to be fraudulent and thus a court could find the basis of their adoption "questionable", he said.
From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026
When fellow short seller Andrew Left accused Valeant of creating fraudulent invoices, the stock sank further.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 18, 2026
"Just like your email system can spot unwanted messages, our tool flags papers that match the writing style and structure we see in retracted, fraudulent work."
From Science Daily ● Jul. 16, 2026
The story ran across the country, “Kate Fox Jencken … intends to co-operate with her sister—Margaretta Fox Kane—in her proposed exposé of the fraudulent methods of so-called spiritualism.”
From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
