falsehood

American  

[fawls-hood] / ˈfɔls hʊd /

noun

1. a false statement; lie.

   Synonyms:

   story, fiction, invention, canard, falsification, prevarication, fabrication

2. something false; an untrue idea, belief, etc..

   The Nazis propagated the falsehood of racial superiority.

3. the act of lying or making false statements.

4. lack of conformity to truth or fact.

   Synonyms:

   mendacity, inveracity, untruthfulness

5. Obsolete. deception.

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falsehood British  

/ ˈfɔːlsˌhʊd /

noun

1. the quality of being untrue

2. an untrue statement; lie

3. the act of deceiving or lying

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Related Words

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.

Etymology

Origin of falsehood

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

Explanation

A falsehood is a lie. If your mom has an uncanny knack for knowing when you're telling a falsehood, it means she always knows when you're stretching the truth. The noun falsehood is a slightly fancy or old-fashioned way of saying "lie." It's hard to ever completely trust a friend again once he's told you a falsehood, although sometimes people tell small falsehoods simply to make others feel better. Telling your aunt her pink hair looks fine is a small falsehood, while lying about your grades on a college application is a pretty big falsehood. The Latin root is falsus, "deceived or erroneous."

Example Sentences

Iran's Revolutionary Guards also said that no US Navy vessel has "dared" approach the Strait of Hormuz, calling Wright's claim a "pure falsehood."

From Barron's • Mar. 10, 2026

British policy toward China, Lord Patten continued, had rested on a "falsehood" that "in order to do business with them, we must avoid saying anything they don't like or doing anything that they don't like".

From BBC • Jan. 26, 2026

Aurinia and its U.S. subsidiary brought the suit against Tidmarsh, alleging defamation and injurious falsehood, and seeking damages for its losses, plus punitive damages.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 3, 2025

She went on, “old, tired attacks on conservative women are based on a falsehood that we can’t achieve anything without a man’s help.”

From Slate • Aug. 12, 2025

“Or in silence passes by as true today may turn out to be falsehood tomorrow.”

From "The Adoration of Jenna Fox" by Mary E. Pearson

Related Words

• cover-up
• deceit
• deception
• dishonesty
• distortion
• fabrication
• fakery
• fallacy
• falsity
• misstatement
• perjury
• prevarication
• sham
• tall tale
• untruth