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false-positive

[fawls-poz-i-tiv]
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noun Also false positive.
  1. Medicine/Medical.
    1. a test result that is incorrect because the test indicated a condition or finding that does not exist: a false-positive for syphilis.
    2. a person who receives this test result.
    1. 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.
    2. a person or thing identified by such a test.
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adjective
  1. pertaining to or being a false-positive: The test has a false-positive rate of 4%.
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Compare false-negative.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
British Dictionary definitions for false positive

false positive

noun
  1. a result in a medical test that wrongly indicates the presence of the condition being tested for
  2. a person from whom such a result is obtained
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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
false positive in Medicine

false positive

n.
  1. A positive test result in a subject that does not possess the attribute for which the test is being conducted.
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Related formsfalse′-pos•i•tive adj.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.