falsify

[fawl-suh-fahy]

verb (used with object), fal·si·fied, fal·si·fy·ing.

to make false or incorrect, especially so as to deceive: to falsify income-tax reports.

to alter fraudulently.

to represent falsely: He falsified the history of his family to conceal his humble origins.

to show or prove to be false; disprove: to falsify a theory.

verb (used without object), fal·si·fied, fal·si·fy·ing.

to make false statements.

Origin of falsify

1400–50; late Middle English falsifien < Middle French falsifier < Late Latin falsificāre. See false, -ify

Related formsfal·si·fi·a·ble, adjectivefal·si·fi·a·bil·i·ty, nounfal·si·fi·ca·tion

[fawl-suh-fi-key-shuh n] /ˈfɔl sə fɪˈkeɪ ʃən/, nounfal·si·fi·er, nounnon·fal·si·fi·a·ble, adjectiveun·fal·si·fi·a·ble, adjectiveun·fal·si·fied, adjective

Synonyms for falsify

1, 3. See misrepresent. 4. rebut, discredit, refute, confute, controvert.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

British Dictionary definitions for falsifiability

falsify

verb -fies, -fying or -fied (tr)

to make (a report, evidence, accounts, etc) false or inaccurate by alteration, esp in order to deceive

to prove false; disprove

Derived Formsfalsifiable, adjectivefalsification (ˌfɔːlsɪfɪˈkeɪʃən), nounfalsifier, noun

Word Origin for falsify

C15: from Old French falsifier, from Late Latin falsificāre, from Latin falsus false + facere to make

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

Word Origin and History for falsifiability

falsify

mid-15c., "to prove false," from Middle French falsifier (15c.), from Late Latin falsificare (see falsify). Meaning "to make false" is from c.1500. Earlier verb was simply falsen (c.1200). Related: Falsified; falsifying.