mendacity

[ men-das-i-tee ]

/ mɛnˈdæs ɪ ti /

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See synonyms for mendacity on Thesaurus.com

noun, plural men·dac·i·ties for 2.

the quality of being mendacious; untruthfulness; tendency to lie.

an instance of lying; falsehood.

OTHER WORDS FOR mendacity

1, 2 deception, lie, untruth, deceit.

See synonyms for mendacity on Thesaurus.com

QUIZ

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If autumn is your ideal season, spice up your repertoire of "fall" vocabulary with this quiz on some warm and vivid descriptive words for the season.

Question 1 of 10

Which of the following words means “to make a crackling sound; crackle”?

crisp

crepitate

fuscous

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Origin of mendacity

1640–50; <Late Latin mendācitās falsehood, equivalent to Latin mendāci- (stem of mendāx) given to lying, false + -tās-ty²

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH mendacity

mendacity , mendicity

Words nearby mendacity

Mencius, Mencken, Mencken, H. L., mend, mendacious, mendacity, Mende, Mendel, Mendel-Bechterew reflex, Mendeleev, Mendeleev, Dmitri

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

How to use mendacity in a sentence

In the film, based on Jennifer Vogel’s memoir Flim Flam Man, Jennifer comes to believe her father’s mendacity is “wedded to his shame and disappointment.”
From Stillwater to Sweet Girl, A New Crop of Movies Explores the Plight of Modern Dads|Belinda Luscombe|August 18, 2021|Time
Besides the mendacity of it all, such a scheme misses the obvious truth that “the audience has a mind of its own.”
The Insane Swedish Plan to Rate Games for Sexism|Nick Gillespie|November 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Within this maelstrom of mendacity lies an urgent film that dares to convey the black experience in America: Dear White People.
‘Dear White People’: How An Ex-Publicist’s Twitter Became One of the Year’s Most Important Films|Marlow Stern|October 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Rush soon moved out of apology mode in any event, casting himself as a victim of media mendacity.
Why Rush Limbaugh’s Apology for Sandra Fluke ‘Slut’ Remarks Bombed|Howard Kurtz|March 9, 2012|DAILY BEAST

The destruction of a for-profit enterprise is always noble; its defense always carries the whiff of mendacity.
Toyota's a Victim, Not a Villain|Eric Dezenhall|February 13, 2011|DAILY BEAST
His new book, The Mendacity of Hope, argues that Obama has betrayed liberalism and the Constitution.
Obama's Tyranny|Roger D. Hodge|September 30, 2010|DAILY BEAST
A surprising person Henri, with his worn uniform and his capacity for kindly mendacity.
The Amazing Interlude|Mary Roberts Rinehart
"Of course, I didn't really think she was my aunt," he said, with the easy mendacity of childhood.
The Open Question|Elizabeth Robins
With characteristic mendacity, the duke spread the report that the prisoner had died a natural death.
History of the Rise of the Huguenots|Henry Baird
Nothing is more revolting, but nothing is more characteristic of the Queen, than her shameless mendacity.
History of the English People|John Richard Green
"Religious mania; hysterical mendacity," a doctor diagnosed it, with a pompous frown.
The Incendiary|W. A. (William Augustine) Leahy

British Dictionary definitions for mendacity

mendacity

/ (mɛnˈdæsɪtɪ) /

noun plural -ties

the tendency to be untruthful

a falsehood

Derived forms of mendacity

mendacious (mɛnˈdeɪʃəs), adjectivemendaciously, adverbmendaciousness, noun

Word Origin for mendacity

C17: from Late Latin mendācitās, from Latin mendāx untruthful

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

mendacity

OTHER WORDS FOR mendacity

Origin of mendacity

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH mendacity

Words nearby mendacity

Words related to mendacity

How to use mendacity in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for mendacity

Derived forms of mendacity

Word Origin for mendacity