fraudulent

American  

[fraw-juh-luhnt] / ˈfrɔ dʒə lənt /

adjective

1. characterized by, involving, or proceeding from fraud, as actions, enterprise, methods, or gains.

   a fraudulent scheme to evade taxes.

2. given to or using fraud, as a person; cheating; dishonest.

   Synonyms:

   unscrupulous, underhanded, crooked

3. false or deceiving; phony; misleading.

   They’ve concocted a series of fraudulent pretexts for the invasion that collapse instantly on examination.

   Synonyms:

   specious, sham, fallacious, illusory, deceptive, deceitful

---

fraudulent British  

/ ˈfrɔːdjʊlənt /

adjective

1. acting with or having the intent to deceive

2. relating to or proceeding from fraud or dishonest action

---

Other Word Forms

• fraudulence noun
• fraudulency noun
• fraudulently adverb
• nonfraudulence noun
• nonfraudulency noun
• nonfraudulent adjective
• nonfraudulently adverb
• unfraudulent adjective
• unfraudulently adverb

Etymology

Origin of fraudulent

First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English, from Latin fraudulentus; fraud, -ulent

Example Sentences

While even reliable AI detectors can produce false results, researchers say a crop of fraudulent tools has emerged online, easily weaponized to discredit authentic content and tarnish reputations.

From Barron's • Mar. 30, 2026

Now YouGov, which carried out the research, has told the Bible Society that an internal review of the data found that some of the respondents who completed its survey were "fraudulent".

From BBC • Mar. 26, 2026

In fact, you should treat any transaction as potentially fraudulent from the start, and not wait until the moment you know you’re being scammed.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 25, 2026

Rhonda says she has got back some of the fraudulent card payments – about £4,000.

From BBC • Mar. 16, 2026

She laughed and gave him a hug, which felt just as fraudulent.

From "We'll Fly Away" by Bryan Bliss

Related Words

• counterfeit
• crooked
• deceitful
• dishonest
• fake
• forged
• phony
• sham