false
false — 形容詞
- falsepositive
- falsercomparative
- falsestsuperlative
1. Describes something that has been made to look like the real thing but is not —
假的
非真實的，偽造的
Describes something that has been made to look like the real thing but is not — for example, a false passport, false teeth, or a false wall built to hide something.
Tyler wore a pair of false eyelashes to the costume party last weekend.
Tyler 上週末戴了一副假睫毛去參加化裝舞會。
collocation: false eyelashes / false teeth / false passport
The security guard checked the passport and immediately knew it was false.
警衛檢查了護照，馬上就發現那是假的。
Lan bought a leather handbag at the market, but the material was false.
Lan 在市場買了一個皮包，結果材質是假的。
false material = not genuine
Police discovered a false wall in the basement where the stolen goods were kept.
警方在地下室發現了一面假牆，裡面藏著贓物。
The dentist made false teeth for my grandmother after she lost her own.
牙醫為我祖母做了假牙，因為她自己的牙齒都掉光了。
passive: fitted with false teeth
- false teeth
- false eyelashes
- false passport
- false ID
- false wall
- false ceiling
- false nails
- false beard
- fake
more common in informal speech for imitation goods
- imitation
suggests a copy not intended to deceive
- counterfeit
formal term for illegally copied money or goods
- artificial
focuses on being man-made rather than fake
文法句型
false + noun
用法筆記
Common before nouns for body parts (false teeth, false eyelashes, false nails) and documents (false passport, false ID). When describing a copy of a branded product, 'fake' is more frequent in everyday speech.
常見錯誤
2. Describes a statement, claim, or piece of information that someone says knowing
不實的
故意欺騙人的陳述或資訊
Describes a statement, claim, or piece of information that someone says knowing it is not true, usually in order to gain an advantage or hide the truth.
The candidate was caught making false promises about lowering taxes during the debate.
該候選人在辯論中做出降低稅收的不實承諾，被當場抓包。
collocation: false promise / false claim / false statement
Ezra gave the hotel a false name because he did not want to be found.
Ezra 向飯店櫃檯報了假名，因為他不想被人找到。
The newspaper printed a false report about the mayor's retirement plans.
報紙刊登了一篇關於市長退休計畫的不實報導。
Talia received an email that made a false claim about winning a lottery she had never entered.
Talia 收到一封電子郵件，內容對她從未參加過的樂透提出了不實的中獎宣稱。
false claim — intentionally untrue information
Carlos was arrested for making a false statement to the police during the investigation.
Carlos 因為在調查中向警方做不實陳述而被捕。
- false statement
- false claim
- false promise
- false name
- false accusation
- false report
- untrue
less accusatory; simply states the fact of not being true
- misleading
not necessarily a lie, but gives the wrong idea
- deceptive
focuses on the effect of causing wrong belief
- fraudulent
stronger, legal term for deliberate deception
文法句型
false + noun (statement, claim, promise)
用法筆記
Unlike sense 1 (NOT REAL), this sense is about spoken or written information, not physical objects. The noun is usually an abstract thing: claim, promise, statement, name, accusation, report, rumour.
常見錯誤
3. Refers to the expression 'under false pretences', describing a situation where a
欺詐手段
以說謊方式獲取利益
Refers to the expression 'under false pretences', describing a situation where a person obtains something — money, a job, or entry to a place — by hiding the truth about their identity, their actions, or their reasons.
The salesman gained entry to the elderly woman's house under false pretences.
那名推銷員以欺詐手段進入了老婦人的家中。
fixed phrase: under false pretences
Niran was charged with obtaining money under false pretences from three different families.
Niran 被指控以欺詐手段向三個不同的家庭騙取金錢。
Yuki got the job under false pretences by lying about her university degree.
Yuki 靠謊稱擁有大學學歷以欺詐手段得到了這份工作。
The journalists entered the hospital under false pretences, pretending to be relatives of a patient.
記者們假扮成病患的家屬，以欺詐手段進入了醫院。
gerund after 'by': by pretending to be...
- under false pretences
- gain entry under false pretences
- obtain money under false pretences
- under false pretences by pretending
- dishonestly
adverb covering the general idea, but less specific
- fraudulently
legal term matching the seriousness
文法句型
under false pretences
用法筆記
Almost always occurs in the prepositional phrase 'under false pretences' (British spelling) or 'under false pretenses' (American spelling). This is a fixed expression — you cannot replace 'false' with a synonym.
常見錯誤
4. Not correct or accurate; this type of error typically results from wrong informa
錯誤的
不正確的，基於錯誤資訊
Not correct or accurate; this type of error typically results from wrong information or a misunderstanding rather than from a deliberate intention to deceive others.
Folake had a false impression that the test would be easy and did not study.
Folake 錯誤地以為考試很簡單，所以沒有唸書。
collocation: false impression
The map gave us a false sense of how far the train station really was.
那張地圖讓我們對火車站的距離產生了錯誤的判斷。
Isabela's conclusion was based on several false assumptions about the data.
Isabela 的結論是基於幾個對資料的錯誤假設。
Many people hold the false belief that drinking eight glasses of water daily is necessary.
很多人錯誤地認為每天喝八杯水是必要的。
false belief — a common but mistaken idea
The student's calculation was false because she had misread the chart.
那位學生的計算是錯誤的，因為她看錯了圖表上的數字。
- false impression
- false sense of security
- false assumption
- false belief
- false hope
- false economy
- wrong
most common everyday word for incorrect
- incorrect
more formal than 'wrong', common in academic settings
- inaccurate
suggests small errors rather than complete wrongness
- mistaken
focuses on the person holding the wrong idea
文法句型
be false
false + noun (assumption, impression, belief)
用法筆記
This sense contrasts with sense 2 (DISHONEST): here the information is wrong by accident or misunderstanding, not by deliberate design. 'False' in this sense overlaps with 'wrong' and 'incorrect', but 'false' often carries a slightly more formal tone.
常見錯誤
5. Describes a display of emotion or politeness that is not genuine — the person ap
虛偽的
不真誠、裝出來的
Describes a display of emotion or politeness that is not genuine — the person appears to feel something kind or friendly but does not really feel it.
Quinn forced a false smile when the boring guest arrived at the party.
Quinn 在無聊的客人到場時勉強擠出虛偽的笑容。
collocation: false smile / false laughter / false tears
Her words of comfort sounded false to everyone who knew she disliked the family.
她的安慰話聽起來很虛偽，因為大家都知道她不喜歡那個家庭。
The actor's false tears on stage did not convince the audience at all.
那位演員在台上的假眼淚完全無法說服觀眾。
Christopher's false modesty annoyed his colleagues because they knew he was proud of his work.
Christopher 的虛偽謙虛讓同事們很惱火，因為他們知道他對自己的工作很自豪。
false modesty — pretending not to be proud
Élise offered false compliments about the meal, even though she thought it tasted terrible.
Élise 對那頓飯說了虛偽的讚美，其實她覺得味道糟透了。
- false smile
- false laughter
- false tears
- false modesty
- false sympathy
- false compliments
文法句型
false + noun (emotion, display)
be false
用法筆記
Often describes visible expressions (smile, tears, laughter) or socially expected behaviour (modesty, sympathy, compliments). The closest everyday synonym is 'fake', which is more informal and covers a broader range.
常見錯誤
6. Describes a person who appears to be a friend or supporter but secretly acts aga
不忠的
不可信任的，不忠誠的
Describes a person who appears to be a friend or supporter but secretly acts against you, showing no loyalty when it matters.
Anjali learned that her close colleague was a false friend and had been spreading rumours behind her back.
Anjali 得知她那位親近的同事其實是個假朋友，一直在背後散播謠言。
In the novel, a false friend betrays the prince to seize the throne for himself.
在小說中，王子被一位不忠的朋友出賣，那個人私下想奪取王位。
collocation: false friend — disloyal person
Sophia warned her brother that the new neighbour seemed like a false friend seeking favours.
Sophia 警告她弟弟，那位新鄰居像個不忠的朋友，只想占便宜。
The old king surrounded himself with false friends who wanted only his money.
老國王身邊圍滿了不忠的朋友，他們只想要他的錢。
- false friend
- prove false
- disloyal
direct synonym; the standard word
- unfaithful
often used for romantic relationships
- treacherous
stronger, implies dangerous betrayal
- two-faced
informal, describes someone who acts friendly but isn't
- loyal
faithful and dependable
- trustworthy
can be relied on
文法句型
false + noun (friend, lover)
用法筆記
This sense is most commonly found in the fixed noun phrase 'false friend', which describes a person. Note that 'false friend' has a completely different meaning in linguistics (a word in another language that looks like one in your language but means something different).
常見錯誤
false alarm
idiomA warning about danger that turns out to be unnecessary because there was no actual danger.
虛驚一場
The fire alarm went off in the hotel at midnight, but it was a false alarm caused by burnt toast in the kitchen.
Stephanie rushed to the hospital after feeling chest pains, but the doctors said it was a false alarm and sent her home.
false start
idiomAn attempt to begin something that fails at the very beginning and has to be started again.
起步失敗；出師不利
After several false starts, the science team finally managed to launch the weather balloon successfully.
The runner was disqualified from the race after making a false start at the sound of the gun.
false hope
idiomA feeling of optimism about something good that is very unlikely or impossible to happen.
虛假的希望
Doctors refused to give the family false hope, explaining honestly that the treatment might not work.
The charity warned donors not to raise false hope among the villagers about the new hospital opening next month.
A test result that is wrong: a false positive shows a condition exists when it does not; a false negative shows no condition when it does exist.
偽陽性／偽陰性
The pregnancy test gave a false positive result, so Imani was very confused when the hospital test showed she was not pregnant.
Security cameras sometimes trigger false positives, mistaking a stray cat for an intruder in the yard at night.
false move
idiomAn action or decision that is a mistake and could cause problems or danger.
失策；一步錯
In chess, one false move can lose the entire game, so Hyun always thinks carefully before moving a piece.
The negotiations were going well, but one false move from either side could destroy the agreement completely.
Acting dishonestly by pretending to be someone or something you are not, usually to get something you want.
以虛假藉口
He got the job under false pretences by lying about his degree.
Sara entered the building on false pretences, claiming to be a reporter.
To seem sincere and believable, or to seem insincere and not believable.
聽起來真實/空洞/虛假
Her apology rang hollow because she was still laughing.
Does his explanation ring true to you, or does it sound fake?
false — 副詞
1. In a way that is dishonest or not faithful to someone who trusted you; found mai
虛假地
以不誠實或不忠誠的方式
In a way that is dishonest or not faithful to someone who trusted you; found mainly in older literature, formal writing, or poetry rather than in everyday speech.
The captain's second-in-command acted falsely by sharing battle plans with the enemy.
那名副艦長不忠地將作戰計畫洩漏給了敵人。
collocation: act falsely — betray trust
Pedro swore he would never speak falsely to his closest friend.
Pedro 發誓他永遠不會對最親密的朋友說假話。
Historians proved that the witness had testified falsely at the trial.
歷史學家證實那名證人在審判中作了偽證。
The old poem describes a knight who vowed never to deal falsely with anyone.
這首古詩描述了一位發誓永遠不以虛假手段對待他人的騎士。
literary register
- act falsely
- speak falsely
- swear falsely
- dishonestly
standard modern adverb
- untruthfully
focuses on factually wrong statements
- treacherously
stronger, implies betrayal
- honestly
in a truthful way
- faithfully
with loyalty and trust
用法筆記
This adverb is rare in modern everyday English. Most speakers use 'dishonestly' or 'untruthfully' instead. You are most likely to find it in older literature, formal legal writing, or poetic contexts.
同根字
- falsely副詞B1
- falsehood名詞B2
- falsify動詞C1
- falsification名詞C1
- falsity名詞C1
常見搭配
副詞搭配
- clearly false
- obviously false
- completely false
- patently false
- demonstrably false
常用片語
- prove false
- turn out false
- ring false
- be shown to be false