False
False adjective - Being such in appearance only and made with or manufactured from usually cheaper materials.
Usage example: George Washington's false teeth were not made of wood but of elephant ivory and cow's teeth
Substitute is a synonym for false in fake topic. In some cases you can use "Substitute" instead the word "False" as an adjective or a noun, when it comes to topics like ersatz.
Substitute
Substitute adjective - Being such in appearance only and made with or manufactured from usually cheaper materials.
Usage example: substitute wools that supposedly have the look and feel of cashmere
False is a synonym for substitute in characteristic topic. Sometimes you can use "False" instead the word "Substitute" as an adjective or a noun, if it concerns topics such as ersatz, alternative.
Mutual synonyms
Related pairs
Both words in one sentence
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Wendy, Stan's love interest/girlfriend in the early seasons of South Park, went so far as to have a substitute teacher arrested on false charges and locked inside a rocket launched directly at the sun, for the crime of having been the object of a brief crush from Stan.
Source: Murder the Hypotenuse -
Suspiciously Similar Substitute: In-Universe—The first (false) friend of the protagonist of Track 3 and the young noblewoman from track 9 looks too awfully similar.
Source: Music / Sound Horizon - This was forced on Will Griggs on Neighbours, not because he was a Romantic False Lead, but because the actor had left the show early and they chose to bring in a Suspiciously Similar Substitute.
Source: Derailing Love Interests
Cite this Source
Substitute and False. (2016). Retrieved 2026, August 15, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/false/substitute
False & Substitute. N.p., 2016. Web. 15 Aug. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/false/substitute>.
Substitute or False. 2016. Accessed August 15, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/false/substitute.
Google Ngram Viewer shows how "false" and "substitute" have occurred on timeline