Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com

pathological liar

American  
[path-uh-loj-i-kuhl lahy-er] / ˈpæθ əˌlɒdʒ ɪ kəl ˈlaɪ ər /

noun

  1. a person who tells lies frequently, with no rational motive for doing so.


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.

See Examples For:

Refrain from calling her a pathological liar, even if just to yourself, as that will color your response to her.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 29, 2026

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

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

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

Get a word

Vocabulary.com logo
by dictionary.com

Join 14,000,000 vocabulary learners

Start learning new words today on VocabTrainer.
You'll remember them forever.

Start training