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Glite Dictionary
not going to lie

not going to lie

24 8.3
A phrase that shows the next thing you say is honest
  • idiom
  • Slang
translation icon : no voy a mentir
  • I'm not going to lie, this is the first episode I've watched of this season.
  • I'm not going to lie, she said
  • Okay, I'm not going to lie
  • I'm not going to lie anymore

So, JD, I'm not going to lie to you.

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Examples

  • You know, I'm not gonna lie, I didn't see this one coming.

    Countdown (2019)

  • I'm not going to lie, I was surprised by how well the movie turned out.

  • I am not going to lie, I saw them live once and it was a good time.

    Blog text (25)

  • So this deep brown, I'm not going to lie, is not that bad.

  • OK, I'm not going to lie to you.

  • I mean, I'm not going to lie, it's a big, big thing.

    Austin Evans

  • And I'm not going to lie, the progress has been very good.

  • OK, I'm not going to lie, I'm feeling pretty good about this.

  • And I'm not going to lie, it is exhausting.

  • All right, all right, I'm not going to lie, the convertible is nice.

Synonyms

to tell the truth
vsnot going to lie
814 2.7

Say what really happened without hiding facts or lying

is used as a quick preface to signal sincere bluntness before a remark
tell you the truth
vsnot going to lie
  • Informal
227 4.5

Say you are being honest before you speak

is more blunt and general rather than addressing the listener directly
to tell the truth
vsnot going to lie
  • Informal
48 3.2

To say something that is true even if it is surprising

is more blunt and used to state frank opinion rather than mere admission
truth be told
vsnot going to lie
  • Informal
17 5.6

You say it to show you are honest, even if it sounds awkward

is more blunt and informal when signaling frank honesty
if I'm lying, I'm dying
vsnot going to lie
  • Informal
9.9

To say firmly that what you say is true

is less extreme and less hyperbolic when showing honesty and bluntness

Antonyms

lying
215 2.1

Telling something that is not true on purpose

dishonest
128 2.5

Likely to lie or cheat to get something for yourself

How Sincere

frankly
∞ 3.2
honestly
182 1.3
to be honest
  • Informal
221 2.3
not going to lie
  • Slang
24 8.3

Surface Forms

not going to lie main

Morphology

not + going + to + lie

The phrase literally combines negation + future-prospective 'going to' + 'lie' so a learner who knows the constituents can infer 'I will not tell a lie,' i.e. 'I will be honest.' It functions as a straightforward discourse marker meaning 'to be honest' and follows common grammatical patterns (going to = future), so the sense is directly derivable from the parts.

Etymology

Not going to lie comes from the simple promise 'I am not going to lie, I will tell the truth'. People say it before a direct or surprising comment to show they are being 'honest', so the listener trusts what follows.