false positive
noun
plural false positives
: a person or test result that is incorrectly classified as positive (as for the presence of a health condition) because of imperfect testing methods or procedures
A false positive—a test result indicative of disease that isn't actually present—can trigger a chain reaction of worry, further tests, and even unnecessary treatment.—
Harvard Health Letter
Harvard Health LetterThe quarantine could be lifted early if the lab confirms that the case was a false positive.—Kathleen Moore
Kathleen MoorePerhaps more important, polygraph tests are notoriously unreliable. Scientists are understandably concerned about false positive results …—Chemical & Engineering News
—often hyphenated when used before another nounChemical & Engineering NewsThe technology could improve a radiologist's ability to detect breast cancers and it could lower the number of false-positive results …—Laurie Tarken
compare false negative
Laurie TarkenExamples of false positive in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Cost Reduction: Automation and accuracy minimize false positives, lowering costs.
—Ravi Gedela, Forbes.com, 4 June 2025
Perhaps more importantly, privacy advocates and civil liberties groups warn about potential biases in AI systems and the risk of false positives that could unfairly target certain groups.
—Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 23 May 2025
Potential risks at that age are considered to outweigh the advantages of the screenings, including false positives, detecting cancers that aren't deadly, unnecessary biopsies or treatments, and patient anxiety.
—Joey Garrison, USA Today, 21 May 2025
The cameras use artificial intelligence, the agency said, to sort out real concerns from false positives.
—Alexandra Mendoza, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for false positive
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Ravi Gedela, Forbes.com, 4 June 2025
Perhaps more importantly, privacy advocates and civil liberties groups warn about potential biases in AI systems and the risk of false positives that could unfairly target certain groups.
—Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 23 May 2025
Potential risks at that age are considered to outweigh the advantages of the screenings, including false positives, detecting cancers that aren't deadly, unnecessary biopsies or treatments, and patient anxiety.
—Joey Garrison, USA Today, 21 May 2025
The cameras use artificial intelligence, the agency said, to sort out real concerns from false positives.
—Alexandra Mendoza, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for false positive
Cite this Entry
“False positive.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/false%20positive. Accessed 9 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
false positive
noun
: a person or test result that is incorrectly classified as positive (as for the presence of a health condition) because of imperfect testing methods or procedures
Another problem with the test … is that it also produces a number of false positives; that is, a number of neonates with elevated trypsin levels the first time they are tested are found not to have elevated levels on the second test.—The Journal of the American Medical Association
The Journal of the American Medical AssociationThe urine dipstick test for protein can give false positive results when various pharmacologic agents and gross hematuria are present or when urine pH is high …—Biff F. Palmer, Scientific American Medicine
—often hyphenated when used before another nounBiff F. Palmer, Scientific American Medicine… false-positive results that led healthy women to have unnecessary surgery.—Denise Grady, The New York Times
Denise Grady, The New York TimesThe test can give false-positive readings, however, and it triggers a follow-up colonoscopy in 4% to 10% of cases.—Marilyn Chase, The Wall Street Journal
compare false negative
Marilyn Chase, The Wall Street JournalLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share