falsehood

[ fawls-hood ]

See synonyms for falsehood on Thesaurus.com

noun

a false statement; lie.
something false; an untrue idea, belief, etc.: The Nazis propagated the falsehood of racial superiority.

the act of lying or making false statements.
lack of conformity to truth or fact.
Obsolete. deception.

Origin of falsehood

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English falsehead, falshede; see origin at false, -hood

synonym study For falsehood

1. Falsehood, fib, lie, untruth refer to something untrue or incorrect. A falsehood is a statement that distorts or suppresses the truth, in order to deceive: to tell a falsehood about one's ancestry in order to gain acceptance. A fib denotes a trivial falsehood, and is often used to characterize that which is not strictly true: a polite fib. A lie is a vicious falsehood: to tell a lie about one's neighbor. An untruth is an incorrect statement, either intentionally misleading (less harsh, however, than falsehood or lie) or arising from misunderstanding or ignorance: I'm afraid you are telling an untruth.

Other words for falsehood

1	fabrication, prevarication, falsification, canard, invention, fiction, story
4	untruthfulness, inveracity, mendacity

See synonyms for falsehood on Thesaurus.com

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use falsehood in a sentence

We all know this happens; yet we continue to endorse these falsehoods.
The Good Wife’s Religion Politics: Voters Have No Faith in Alicia's Atheism | Regina Lizik | November 24, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
In fact, last fall, Factcheck.org rated such claims as outright falsehoods.
The Five Biggest Lies About Obamacare | Michael Tomasky | August 17, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
Maynard subsequently told ever more elaborate falsehoods and presented himself ever more dramatically as the man who saved King.
The Black and White Men Who Saved Martin Luther King’s Life | Michael Daly | January 20, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
Replying-all to that email chain of falsehoods and letting folks know that you disagree, and the lies aren't OK.
Congress Can Become Civil and Productive if Moderate Voters Demand It | Joshua DuBois | October 28, 2013 | THE DAILY BEAST
It is also likely that all of them contain at best, distortions and, at worst, outright falsehoods.
The Masculine Mystique | R. Tod Kelly | October 20, 2013 | THE DAILY BEAST

He had seen through her as if she had been made of glass; he had penetrated her artifices and detected her falsehoods.
St. Martin's Summer | Rafael Sabatini
I could not help at the meeting threatening to horsewhip J. Price for the falsehoods that he with the others had reported.
Life of Richard Trevithick, Volume II (of 2) | Francis Trevithick
Let us suppose we were told that the whole book—facts, reason, folly, and falsehoods—was divinely inspired and literally true.
God and my Neighbour | Robert Blatchford
For his wifes and childrens sake he is sorely tempted to commit fraud, to tell falsehoods, and obtain illicit gains.
The 'Characters' of Jean de La Bruyre | Jean de La Bruyre
Perhaps to keep up the illusion, to colour the raw facts; to help her to false ideas, while yet not plainly stating falsehoods?
Tales and Fantasies | Robert Louis Stevenson

British Dictionary definitions for falsehood

falsehood

/ (ˈfɔːlsˌhʊd) /

noun

the quality of being untrue
an untrue statement; lie

the act of deceiving or lying

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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