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true

[troo]
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adjective, tru·er, tru·est.
  1. being in accordance with the actual state or conditions; conforming to reality or fact; not false: a true story.
  2. real; genuine; authentic: true gold; true feelings.
  3. sincere; not deceitful: a true interest in someone's welfare.
  4. firm in allegiance; loyal; faithful; steadfast: a true friend.
  5. being or reflecting the essential or genuine character of something: the true meaning of his statement.
  6. conforming to or consistent with a standard, pattern, or the like: a true copy.
  7. exact; precise; accurate; correct: a true balance.
  8. of the right kind; such as it should be; proper: to arrange things in their true order.
  9. properly so called; rightly answering to a description: true statesmanship.
  10. legitimate or rightful: the true heir.
  11. reliable, unfailing, or sure: a true sign.
  12. exactly or accurately shaped, formed, fitted, or placed, as a surface, instrument, or part of a mechanism.
  13. honest; honorable; upright.
  14. Biology. conforming to the type, norm, or standard of structure of a particular group; typical: The lion is a true cat.
  15. Animal Husbandry. purebred.
  16. Navigation. (of a bearing, course, etc.) determined in relation to true north.
  17. Archaic. truthful.
noun
  1. exact or accurate formation, position, or adjustment: to be out of true.
  2. the true, something that is true; truth.
adverb
  1. in a true manner; truly; truthfully.
  2. exactly or accurately.
  3. in conformity with the ancestral type: to breed true.
verb (used with object), trued, tru·ing or true·ing.
  1. to make true; shape, adjust, place, etc., exactly or accurately: to true the wheels of a bicycle after striking a pothole.
  2. (especially in carpentry) to make even, symmetrical, level, etc. (often followed by up): to true up the sides of a door.
Idioms
  1. come true, to have the expected or hoped-for result; become a reality: She couldn't believe that her dream would ever come true.

Origin of true

before 900; Middle English trewe (adj. and adv.), Old English trēowe (adj.) loyal, trusty, honest (see trow, truce); akin to Dutch trouw, German treu, Old Norse tryggr, Gothic triggws
Related formstrue·ness, nounhalf-true, adjective

Synonyms

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1. factual, veracious. 3. honest. 4. trustworthy; staunch, constant, steady, unwavering. 7. faithful.

Synonym study

1. See real1.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for trueness

Historical Examples

  • I learned that obedience and trueness to God will bring us into a wealthy place.

    Riches of Grace

    E. E. Byrum

  • "I don't believe there's any but the one kind of trueness," said Felicity.

    The Story Girl

    Lucy Maud Montgomery

  • The trueness or the falsity is even now immediately, absolutely, and positively there.

  • The appearance of a dairy depends very much on the trueness, as well as uniformity in hight, of the cheeses.

    Hints on cheese-making

    Thomas Day Curtis

  • He possessed a trueness of vision and an understanding of things that were, however, unusual in a lad of his age.

British Dictionary definitions for trueness

true

adjective truer or truest
  1. not false, fictional, or illusory; factual or factually accurate; conforming with reality
  2. (prenominal) being of real or natural origin; genuine; not synthetictrue leather
    1. unswervingly faithful and loyal to friends, a cause, etca true follower
    2. (as collective noun; preceded by the)the loyal and the true
  4. faithful to a particular concept of truth, esp of religious trutha true believer
  5. conforming to a required standard, law, or patterna true aim; a true fit
  6. exactly in tunea true note
  7. (of a compass bearing) according to the earth's geographical rather than magnetic polestrue north
  8. biology conforming to the typical structure of a designated typesphagnum moss is a true moss, Spanish moss is not
  9. physics not apparent or relative; taking into account all complicating factorsthe true expansion of a liquid takes into account the expansion of the container Compare apparent (def. 3)
  10. not true informal unbelievable; remarkableshe's got so much money it's not true
  11. true to life exactly comparable with reality
noun
  1. correct alignment (esp in the phrases in true, out of true)
adverb
  1. truthfully; rightly
  2. precisely or unswervinglyhe shot true
  3. biology without variation from the ancestral typeto breed true
verb trues, truing or trued
  1. (tr) to adjust so as to make true
Derived Formstrueness, noun

Word Origin

Old English triewe; related to Old Frisian triūwe, Old Saxon, Old High German triuwi loyal, Old Norse tryggr; see trow, trust
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

Word Origin and History for trueness

true

adj.

Old English triewe (West Saxon), treowe (Mercian) "faithful, trustworthy," from Proto-Germanic *trewwjaz "having or characterized by good faith" (cf. Old Frisian triuwi, Dutch getrouw, Old High German gatriuwu, German treu, Old Norse tryggr, Gothic triggws "faithful, trusty"), perhaps ultimately from PIE *dru- "tree," on the notion of "steadfast as an oak." Cf., from same root, Lithuanian drutas "firm," Welsh drud, Old Irish dron "strong," Welsh derw "true," Old Irish derb "sure."

Sense of "consistent with fact" first recorded c.1200; that of "real, genuine, not counterfeit" is from late 14c.; that of "agreeing with a certain standard" (as true north) is from c.1550. Of artifacts, "accurately fitted or shaped" it is recorded from late 15c.; the verb in this sense is from 1841. True-love (adj.) is recorded from late 15c.; true-born first attested 1590s. True-false as a type of test question is recorded from 1923.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper

Idioms and Phrases with trueness

true

In addition to the idioms beginning with true

also see:

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.