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
There was a significant dip in other groups: 55% returned for subsequent screening after a false positive and a recommendation for short-interval follow-up, and 61% of those with a false positive who were told to get a biopsy went on for future breast cancer screening.
—Tina Reed, Axios, 4 Sep. 2024
Some common causes of false positives, according to UC Davis, include dense breast tissue, small calcium deposits in the breast, overlapping breast tissue that creates shadows, or normal variations in breast tissue.
—Melissa Rudy, Fox News, 4 Sep. 2024
More data leads to better model training, improving fraud detection and reducing false positives.
—Parth Vatsal, Forbes, 4 Nov. 2024
Those tests, Ramsay said, give a lot of false positives.
—Claire Bugos, Verywell Health, 21 Oct. 2024
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.
Tina Reed, Axios, 4 Sep. 2024
Some common causes of false positives, according to UC Davis, include dense breast tissue, small calcium deposits in the breast, overlapping breast tissue that creates shadows, or normal variations in breast tissue.
—Melissa Rudy, Fox News, 4 Sep. 2024
More data leads to better model training, improving fraud detection and reducing false positives.
—Parth Vatsal, Forbes, 4 Nov. 2024
Those tests, Ramsay said, give a lot of false positives.
—Claire Bugos, Verywell Health, 21 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for false positive
Articles Related to false positive
Dictionary Entries Near false positive
Cite this Entry
“False positive.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/false%20positive. Accessed 26 Nov. 2024.
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