falsehood
Americannoun
-
a false statement; lie.
- Synonyms:
- story, fiction, invention, canard, falsification, prevarication, fabrication
-
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.
- Synonyms:
- mendacity, inveracity, untruthfulness
-
Obsolete. deception.
noun
-
the quality of being untrue
-
an untrue statement; lie
-
the act of deceiving or lying
Synonym Usage
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; see origin at 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."
Vocabulary lists containing falsehood
A Web of Lies
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We Were Liars
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The Misfits
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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.
At the very least, the definition of lying must include speaking with the aim of causing one’s audience to adopt a falsehood.
From Salon • Apr. 13, 2026
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
Before we get to what happened after that, let’s note that this nonexistent removal order wasn’t even the only falsehood Judge Xinis identified in her ruling.
From Slate • Dec. 12, 2025
In medical school I have been befriended by an upstart neurologist, who believes I am acting out a great lifelong falsehood.
From "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver
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.
