half-truth
Americannoun
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a statement that is only partly true, especially one intended to deceive, evade blame, or the like.
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a statement that fails to divulge the whole truth.
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of half-truth
First recorded in 1650–60
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
“Before he took the time to gather the facts, he painted a negative half-truth about our son and the unfolding case,” she said.
From Seattle Times ● Mar. 22, 2023
Some of those are relatively harmless; using this half-truth to explain Leonardo DiCaprio’s dating habits primarily hurts DiCaprio, who hardly needs our sympathy.
From Slate ● Nov. 27, 2022
I think it’s worth exploring at what point a half-truth is more dangerous than a lie.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 29, 2022
Not for him the mealy-mouthed half-truth, the small evasion.
From Salon ● Apr. 24, 2020
I need to give him something, so I tell him it’s my dad, which isn’t exactly a lie, more of a half-truth because it’s only one part of a much bigger picture.
From "All The Bright Places" by Jennifer Niven
No one should be held hostage to other people’s decisions or half-truths.
From MarketWatch ● Feb. 19, 2026
"The grandiose achievements touted by Holmes and Balwani were half-truths and outright lies," Nguyen wrote in the opinion on behalf of a three-judge panel published on Monday.
From BBC ● Feb. 25, 2025
Initial sessions tend to be colored by weeping, hesitancy and half-truths as the clinician and client get a feel for each other.
From Salon ● Oct. 16, 2024
Technically, I’m sure a product expert could say that some of the product did penetrate into the top layer of wood fibers, but I feel half-truths are whole lies.
From Seattle Times ● Jul. 17, 2023
Tom’s whole life was constructed on lies—falsehoods and half-truths told to make him look better, stronger, more interesting than he was.
From "The Girl on the Train" by Paula Hawkins
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
