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
- 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
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“It looks on its face to be fraudulent. Can I prove that? No, because it happened so far upstream,” Johnson said.
From Los Angeles Times
The indictment says Mr. James and his brother, Edward James, used fraudulent borrowing schemes to finance acquisitions and operations.
Patrick James, whose empire of automotive aftermarket brands collapsed in September, was accused by federal prosecutors in New York of “a series of fraudulent schemes against the company’s lenders and financing partners.”
A Los Angeles pipe manufacturer that has been sued thousands of times for allegedly causing asbestos-related disease in workers handling its products is accusing a leading law firm of filing fraudulent cases.
From Los Angeles Times
The defendants are accused of running a fraudulent business and public nuisance.
From BBC
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.
