falsehood
[fawls-hoo d]
- a false statement; lie.
- 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.
- Obsolete. deception.
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Origin of falsehood
Synonym study
1. 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.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for falsehood
Contemporary Examples
But later that day, NBC, CBS, and the Los Angeles Times all reported the same “falsehood,” also citing law-enforcement sources.
Its central rationale was conceived in a falsehood, that Romney the financial manipulator at Bain was a prolific job creator.
In Pakistan, truth or falsehood are categories that don't mean what they do elsewhere on earth.
It has responded by creating its own, alternative reality, ideologically consistent but full of falsehood.
It is a struggle between Truth and Falsehood, until God Almighty inherits the earth and those who live in it.
Historical Examples
"Captain Haley knows very well the falsehood of what he says," said our hero, calmly.
Brave and BoldHoratio Alger
His eyes, round and full and steady, taxed her with falsehood, with hypocrisy.
Life and Death of Harriett FreanMay Sinclair
When souls have loved, there is no falsehood or forgetfulness.
Other Tales and SketchesNathaniel Hawthorne
It is the falsehood of the silliest poetry to say he defies the image of his beloved.
Weighed and WantingGeorge MacDonald
Was it simply to meet—to talk—and afterwards to tell a falsehood to one's parents?
The DreamEmile Zola
falsehood
- the quality of being untrue
- an untrue statement; lie
- the act of deceiving or lying
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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 falsehood
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper