pathological liar
Americannoun
Etymology
Origin of pathological liar
First recorded in 1890–95
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.
Federal prosecutors called him a pathological liar and swindler who falsely portrayed himself as a successful businessman and real-estate mogul with stints at Citigroup and Goldman Sachs.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 3, 2026
Zoning in on his career and moments such as his dramatic ousting from OpenAI in 2023, the story portrayed Altman as a pathological liar.
From BBC ● May 15, 2026
Unlike Reesa Teesa, whose multi-post tale of marriage to a pathological liar went viral on TikTok last year and led to a TV adaptation, Hilty hasn’t become a universal figure of sympathy and courage.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 15, 2025
He has most certainly shown himself to be a megalomaniac, a fabulist, a malignant narcissist, and a pathological liar.
From Salon ● Sep. 20, 2023
The only thing you have for measuring what’s real is your mind...so what happens when your mind becomes a pathological liar?
From "Challenger Deep" by Neal Shusterman
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.
