false-negative

American  

[fawls-neg-uh-tiv] / ˈfɔlsˈnɛg ə tɪv /

noun

1. Medicine/Medical.

   1. a test result that is incorrect because the test failed to recognize an existing condition or finding.

   2. a person who receives this test result.

2. 1. any screening test result that failed to detect a person or thing being sought.

      Let's hope the new body scanner doesn't give us any false-negatives.

   2. a person or thing that is missed by such a test.

      Retrain your spam filter if you’re getting too many false-negatives in your inbox.

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adjective

1. pertaining to or being a false-negative.

false negative British  

noun

1. a result in a medical test that wrongly indicates the absence of the condition being tested for

2. a person from whom such a result is obtained

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Etymology

Origin of false-negative

First recorded in 1915–20

Example Sentences

There’s about a 5 percent false-negative rate, meaning falsely reassuring.

From Slate

According to Offit, mothers weren’t always screened, tests could produce false-negative results, and pregnant moms can contract the disease later in pregnancy.

From The Wall Street Journal

It seems the agency’s main concern is that the drugs could lead to false-negative HIV screening tests in blood donations, meaning a test shows a donation does not have HIV when it actually does.

From Slate

Sometimes an at-home antigen test can have a false-negative result.

From Seattle Times

But certain image-guided biopsies can produce errors, including false-negative results, and must be carried out under strict protocols to achieve high levels of accuracy.

From New York Times