forsooth

[ fawr-sooth ]

/ fɔrˈsuθ /

adverb Archaic.

(now used in derision or to express disbelief) in truth; in fact; indeed.

Nearby words

Origin of forsooth

before 900; Middle English forsothe, Old English forsōth. See for, sooth

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for forsooth

Because you have finical poppets of mistresses who hide under the bed when you put on a big voice, forsooth!
Les Misrables|Victor Hugo
My friend John Bull here is very angry with me, forsooth, because I won't agree to his foolish bargains.
The History of John Bull|John Arbuthnot
And red enough he was when I left him; but, forsooth, he reckons that the paint cost him full dear.
Hansford: A Tale of Bacon's Rebellion|St. George Tucker
The speculation of a savage, forsooth, and this certainty of feeling.
The Hearts of Men|H. Fielding

A pleasant fancy, forsooth, for a fellow who has not a groat in his pocket to look for a yoke-mate above the clouds.
Wit and Wisdom of Don Quixote|Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra

British Dictionary definitions for forsooth

forsooth

/ (fəˈsuːθ) /

adverb

archaic in truth; indeed

Word Origin for forsooth

Old English forsōth

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 forsooth

forsooth

adv.

Old English forsoð "indeed, verily," from for-, perhaps here with intensive force (or else the whole might be "for a truth"), + soð "truth" (see sooth).