# fraudulent

/ˈfɹɔdʒəɫənt/ (US) · /fɹˈɔːdjʊlənt/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/fraudulent
Updated: 2026-06-20

## Senses

### 1. illegal or deceptive

adjective · CEFR C1 · Formal

done to trick someone or steal money by lying.

For teachers: involving or characterized by intentional deception or fraud, especially for financial gain.

- The bank blocked his card after noticing several fraudulent transactions from another country.
- The investigation revealed a series of fraudulent insurance claims that had cost the company millions of dollars over the last decade.

Usage: Commonly used in legal and financial contexts to describe claims, activities, or documents.

Teaching tip: Learners often confuse this with 'fake'. Use 'fraudulent' for actions or documents that break the law, and 'fake' for physical objects like toys or clothes.

### 2. false or phony

adjective · CEFR C1 · Formal · Literary

not real or not true, often used to describe a person's behavior or a fake item.

For teachers: lacking authenticity or being intentionally misleading; false in nature.

- He gave the police a fraudulent name to avoid being arrested.
- The critic dismissed the artist's work as fraudulent, claiming it was merely a poor imitation of much better painters.

Teaching tip: This sense is less about money and more about a lack of truth in character or appearance.

## Examples

- The bank blocked the fraudulent transaction immediately.
- He was arrested after the police discovered he had been using fraudulent documents to claim government benefits.
- The investigation revealed a series of fraudulent accounting practices designed to inflate the company's stock price before the annual audit.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.