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.
His departure seemed to fulfill the prophecy he made in a 1965 poem, alluding to Karl Marx's famous phrase: Adieu to the prophet who said: "Forsooth, you've nothing to lose but your chains."
From Time Magazine Archive
Forsooth, fair friend, little I know where my path may lead me, nor have I home where I may dwell.
From Aucassin & Nicolette And Other Mediaeval Romances and Legends by Mason, Eugene
"Forsooth," exclaimed Fawkes, as soon as he could speak for her caresses, "methinks thou at least art glad to see thy old father once again."
From The Fifth of November A Romance of the Stuarts by Bentley, Charles S.
Then, with a merry laugh he cried aloud: "Forsooth, look yonder, if I don't mistake That man is Hagen my alien friend!"
From Ekkehard. Vol. II (of II). A Tale of the Tenth Century by Scheffel, Joseph Victor von
When they had shot about, These archers fair and good: Ever more was the best, Forsooth, Robin Hood.
From Fifteenth Century Prose and Verse by Various
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.
