forsooth
Americanadverb
adverb
Etymology
Origin of forsooth
before 900; Middle English forsothe, Old English forsōth. See for, sooth
Explanation
If you want to say "indeed" in a particularly witty, old-fashioned way, use the adverb forsooth. Sprinkle this word into your speech, and forsooth, your friends may think you sound Shakespearean: “Yes, forsooth mother, I shall walk the dog around the block.” Forsooth is an archaic adverb, mainly used in humorous contexts or on National Talk Like Shakespeare Day. Some etymologists believe it's a shortened form of “for in truth.”
Vocabulary lists containing forsooth
Much Ado About Nothing
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King Lear
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Tolkien Reading Day, List 7
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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.
My friend recognized that a live football broadcast is, forsooth, a work of art—possibly the most widely beloved American art form that is never celebrated as such.
From Slate ● Oct. 16, 2015
There is no more to say, Because you'll never agree That anything’s truth, But what issues, forsooth, From Holmes or the brain of McGee.
From "1491" by Charles C. Mann
Dismal, forsooth, when your heart overflows with misery!
From The Maid of Honour, Vol. 1 (of 3) A Tale of the Dark Days of France by Wingfield, Lewis
Feed on thy bread, on Christ too feed, O guest; With Bread on bread forsooth thou shalt be blest.
From The Complete Works of Richard Crashaw, Volume II (of 2) by Crashaw, Richard
That stupid old Dives! forsooth, he must barter His time-honoured name for a wonderful garter; And Joan's pretty face has been clouded with care Since Jack bought her ribbons at Vanity Fair.
From A Selection from the Works of Frederick Locker by Locker-Lampson, Hannah Jane
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.
