fälschliche

Fälschliche is a German adjective and, in its adverbial form fälschlich, used to describe something as not genuine, forged, or misleading. As an attributive adjective it agrees with the noun it modifies and follows the standard German declension rules. Common constructions include der fälschliche Eindruck, die fälschliche Behauptung, das fälschliche Dokument, and related plural forms such as die fälschlichen Behauptungen.

Etymology and nuance: fälschliche derives from the verb fälschen, meaning to falsify or forge. The suffix -lich turns the verb into an adjective, indicating a quality or characteristic. The adverb fälschlich corresponds to “falsely” or “in a false way.” In usage, fälschliche often conveys a sense of deception or illegitimate origin, rather than merely an incorrect or mistaken detail, which may be expressed by synonyms like falsch or irrtümlich.

Usage and context: The term appears frequently in formal or analytical writing, journalism, and legal-language contexts when distinguishing genuine from non-genuine claims, documents, identifications, or statements. Examples include a fälschliche Behauptung (a false/forged claim), fälschliche Dokumente (forged documents), or fälschliche Identität (false identity). It contrasts with falsch, which describes something incorrect in general, and with Fälschung, the act or result of forging.

See also: Fälschen, Falsch, Fälschung, Irreführung.