Originally describing objects formed or molded (especially in clay or wax), this adjective shifted to mean 'fabricated' or 'counterfeit' in a negative sense. In 2 Peter 2:3, false teachers exploit believers with fabricated words—arguments deliberately constructed to deceive rather than inform. The term implies calculated artificiality, like a statue that imitates life but remains lifeless, or a forged document that mimics authenticity while being fundamentally false.