fraudulence

fraud·u·lence
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UK/ˈfɹɔː.djʊ.l(ə)ns/US/ˈfɹɔ.d͡ʒə.ləns/

noun

The condition of being fraudulent; deceitfulness.

RareScrabble 17

Meanings

nounfraudulence (countable and uncountable, plural fraudulences)

plural fraudulences

  1. countableuncountableThe condition of being fraudulent; deceitfulness.

    Among other fraudulences, Enron perfected the art of “mark to market” accounting, tagging mere estimates of future profits as actual on-the-books assets.

    2015, Elizabeth Hass, Terry Christensen, Peter J. Haas, Projecting Politics: Political Messages in American Films, 2nd edition, New York, N.Y.; Abingdon, Oxon.: Routledge, →ISBN, page 280
    2 more examples

    I ſuppoſe ſome of my friends, to whom I read the firſt part, gave notice of my deſign, and, perhaps, ſold the treacherous intelligence at a higher price than the fraudulence of trade will now allow me for my book.

    1759 May 5, Samuel Johnson, “[The Idler]”, in The Universal Chronicle, or, Weekly Gazette, number 55, [London]: [J. Payne], →OCLC; republished in The Works of Samuel Johnson, new edition, volume VII, London: Printed for T[homas] Longman et al., 1796, page 223

    We should therefore not make too much of the fraudulence of all that on-screen wailing. Just because North Korean TV never films anything before rehearsing all spontaneity out of it does not mean the average citizen was unmoved.

    2012 January 7, B. R. Myers, “Dynasty, North Korean-style”, in The New York Times, archived from the original on 08 Jan 2012

    Synonyms: duplicity, fraudulency, trickery, deceit, deceitfulness, deceptiveness, dissimulation, duplicity

Synonyms & antonyms

More synonyms by meaning

nouna fraudulent or duplicitous representation

Similar

nounthe quality of being fraudulent

Similar
Broader

nounsomething intended to deceive; deliberate trickery intended to gain an advantage

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. Proto-Indo-European*dʰrew-“to mislead”
  2. Latinfraudulentia“deceitfulness, disposition to defraud; fraudulence”
  3. Old Frenchfraudulence
  4. Englishfraudulence

From Old French fraudulence, from Latin fraudulentia (“deceitfulness, disposition to defraud; fraudulence”), from fraudulentus (“deceitful, fraudulent”) + -ia (suffix forming abstract nouns). Fraudulentus is derived from fraus (“deceit, fraud”) (from Proto-Indo-European *dʰrew- (“to mislead”)) + -ulentus (“abounding in, full of”).

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Bulgarian измамничество, мошеничество
  • измамничество (izmamničestvo)condition of being fraudulent
  • мошеничество (mošeničestvo)condition of being fraudulent
Catalan fraudulència
  • fraudulènciacondition of being fraudulent
Czech podvodnost
  • podvodnostcondition of being fraudulent
Dutch bedrog
  • bedrogcondition of being fraudulent
French fraude
  • fraudecondition of being fraudulent
German Betrügerei
  • Betrügereicondition of being fraudulent
Icelandic sviksemi, prettvísi
  • sviksemicondition of being fraudulent
  • prettvísicondition of being fraudulent
Italian fraudolenza
  • fraudolenzacondition of being fraudulent
Māori hoko tāhae
  • hoko tāhaecondition of being fraudulent
Portuguese fraudulência
  • fraudulênciacondition of being fraudulent
Romanian înșelătorie
  • înșelătoriecondition of being fraudulent
Spanish fraudulencia
  • fraudulenciacondition of being fraudulent
Swedish bedräglighet
  • bedräglighetcondition of being fraudulent
Cite this entry
APA

fraudulence. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/fraudulence

MLA

“fraudulence.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/fraudulence. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “fraudulence,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/fraudulence.

Source: fraudulence on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.