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Synonyms

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

"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

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.

The SEC alleges that $112 million of it came through fraudulent securities offerings.

From The Wall Street Journal

This can help to create early warnings about risks of fraudulent or unsafe food.

From BBC

Experts said fraudulent votes are rare, most registration and roll issues do not translate into fraudulent votes being cast, and there is no evidence such issues swing elections.

From Los Angeles Times

A former MP accused of establishing a fraudulent Covid-19 testing firm will not be giving evidence in his own defence.

From BBC

“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