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Glite Dictionary
to face the truth

to face the truth

16 3.7
Accept real facts even when they are painful
  • phrasal verb
translation icon : aceptar la verdad
  • Face the truth about what you've done.

I do, I do because it's hard to face the truth.

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Examples

Synonyms

to confront
vsto face the truth
359 4.4

Face a difficult problem or fear directly and bravely

emphasizes accepting reality even when it is unpleasant rather than boldness
to come to terms with
vsto face the truth
76 4.1

To accept a difficult or unpleasant situation

often requires immediate recognition of unpleasant reality rather than gradual adjustment
to face facts
vsto face the truth
  • Informal
30 4.1

Accept the truth about a difficult situation

focuses more on acting to confront that unpleasant reality
to face the music
vsto face the truth
  • Informal
19 4.5

Accept and deal with unpleasant results or criticism for something you did

covers accepting reality generally, not only personal consequences
to face head-on
vsto face the truth
9 4.2

Deal with a problem directly instead of avoiding it

is about accepting reality but can include less active tackling
to bear the thought
vsto face the truth
  • Informal
9 6.1

To accept or live with an idea that makes you unhappy

asks for active acceptance of an unpleasant fact rather than mere tolerance
to grin and bear it
vsto face the truth
  • Informal
5 6.8

To accept an unpleasant situation without complaining

requires acknowledging and confronting reality rather than only enduring it
to wake up and smell the coffee
vsto face the truth
  • Informal
3 7.3

Realize an unpleasant truth and stop ignoring it

can be deliberate acceptance rather than sudden waking to the truth
to eat the onion
vsto face the truth
  • Informal
9.6

To face a difficult or unpleasant problem without avoiding it

stresses accepting reality broadly, not only the act of confronting it
to take the red pill
vsto face the truth
  • Slang
9.2

To accept a painful truth that changes what you believed

is broader acceptance of reality, not always a conscious choice to seek it

Antonyms

to deny
∞ 2.0

To say that something is not true

How Accepting

to embrace
390 3.9
to accept
∞ 3.5
to face the truth
16 3.7
to acknowledge
367 3.8
to recognize
  • US
705 1.4

Surface Forms

face the truth infinitive
faced the truth past
faced the truth past participle
facing the truth present participle
faces the truth third person singular

Morphology

face + the + truth

The meaning 'to accept or confront the reality of a situation' is directly derivable from combining 'face' (to confront or deal with directly) with 'truth' (reality or fact), so a learner who knows both words can infer the MWE. The verb+noun composition is common cross-linguistically (e.g., Spanish 'enfrentar la verdad', French 'affronter la vérité'), reinforcing its predictability for B1 learners.

Etymology

Face the truth comes from the simple picture of turning your face toward something you do not want to see, like a painful fact, so you can look at it honestly. So face the truth means 'to accept' or 'to deal with' a difficult reality.