Skip to main content
falsehood

falsehood

46 4.3
A statement that is not true
  • noun
  • /ˈfɔlsˌhʊd/
translation icon : mentira
  • The politician was caught spreading a falsehood during the debate.
  • truth and falsehood
  • defamatory falsehood
  • deception and falsehood

The comfort that you get from believing a falsehood is like a drug.

Autoplay Next

Examples

  • Almost every candidate has said some falsehoods and they've said it in front of, you know, many millions of potential voters.

  • Like yourselves, I seek to unmask falsehood and bring the truth to light.

    Fiction book (1998)
  • In politics, falsehood plays a great role, and a small place is left for truth.

    Academic text (1991)
  • A foundation built on falsehood.

  • And so you will take their word against both of ours and traffic in falsehood from now on?

  • Illusion and falsehood are certainly part of reality, but they are not part of truth.

    Academic text (1993)
  • It's really important that you note who stood up and who fought against lies and falsehood and who demonstrated wise thinking.

  • Was waging war in Iraq based on falsehood the best option available?

  • My life is full of such falsehoods, which doesn't make them easier to bear.

    Fiction book (1994)
  • On the other hand, the more falsehood is propagated, the more reliable and identifiable truth will become.

    Academic text (1990)

Synonyms

lie
vsfalsehood
2.7

A false statement told to trick someone

is broader and can include untrue statements without deliberate deception
fabrication
vsfalsehood
29 6.5

A false story made to trick people

covers any untrue statement, not only ones invented from scratch
misrepresentation
vsfalsehood
25 7.5

A statement that gives false information about something

is the simple noun for an untrue account rather than the act of misleading
untruth
vsfalsehood
16 5.5

A false statement

means the same idea and is the common general term
half-truth
vsfalsehood
16 6.7

A statement that is partly true but leaves out important facts to mislead

is a fully untrue statement rather than a partly true one
misstatement
vsfalsehood
14 5.8

An incorrect statement that gives the wrong facts

is used for untrue statements regardless of whether they are accidental
falsity
vsfalsehood
6 7.9

A statement or idea that is not true

refers to an individual untrue statement rather than the general state
bald-faced lie
vsfalsehood
  • Informal
3 5.4

An obvious statement that is not true and said without shame

covers untrue statements generally, not only blatant or shameless ones
falsum
vsfalsehood
  • Formal
9.9

A false statement used as evidence in law or argument

is the everyday term for any untrue spoken or written statement

Antonyms

1.0

Something that can be shown to be true, not an opinion

1.0

A fact that shows how things really are

How Untrue

fabrication
29 6.5
falsehood
46 4.3
lie
2.7
fib
  • Informal
58 3.7

Surface Forms

falsehood singular
falsehoods plural

Morphology

falsehood = false (transparent) = false + hood

A straightforward nominalization of the adjective 'false' with the productive suffix '-hood' meaning 'state or quality'.

Etymology

Falsehood comes from false meaning 'not true' and the ending -hood meaning 'state' or 'condition', as in childhood. So a falsehood is simply the 'state of being false', which means a lie.