mendacity

[ men-das-i-tee ]
See synonyms for mendacity on Thesaurus.com
noun,plural men·dac·i·ties for 2.
  1. the quality of being mendacious; untruthfulness; tendency to lie.

  2. an instance of lying; falsehood.

Origin of mendacity

1
1640–50; <Late Latin mendācitās falsehood, equivalent to Latin mendāci- (stem of mendāx) given to lying, false + -tās-ty2

Other words for mendacity

Words that may be confused with mendacity

Words Nearby mendacity

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

How to use mendacity in a sentence

  • His new book, The mendacity of Hope, argues that Obama has betrayed liberalism and the Constitution.

    Obama's Tyranny | Roger D. Hodge | September 30, 2010 | THE DAILY BEAST
  • A surprising person Henri, with his worn uniform and his capacity for kindly mendacity.

    The Amazing Interlude | Mary Roberts Rinehart
  • "Of course, I didn't really think she was my aunt," he said, with the easy mendacity of childhood.

    The Open Question | Elizabeth Robins
  • With characteristic mendacity, the duke spread the report that the prisoner had died a natural death.

  • Nothing is more revolting, but nothing is more characteristic of the Queen, than her shameless mendacity.

    History of the English People | John Richard Green
  • "Religious mania; hysterical mendacity," a doctor diagnosed it, with a pompous frown.

    The Incendiary | W. A. (William Augustine) Leahy

British Dictionary definitions for mendacity

mendacity

/ (mɛnˈdæsɪtɪ) /


nounplural -ties
  1. the tendency to be untruthful

  2. a falsehood

Origin of mendacity

1
C17: from Late Latin mendācitās, from Latin mendāx untruthful

Derived forms of mendacity

  • mendacious (mɛnˈdeɪʃəs), adjective
  • mendaciously, adverb
  • mendaciousness, noun

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