adjective
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telling or expressing the truth; honest or candid
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realistic
a truthful portrayal of the king
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of truthful
Explanation
Truthful means honest or believable. A truthful answer to a question doesn't mince words—it is completely straightforward and accurate. If your little sister asks you whether the Tooth Fairy is real, you'll have to consider how truthful you want to be. You can think about whether the truthful answer will be to upsetting for her, since you're not under oath in a courtroom, where you're legally obligated to be truthful. A now-obsolete adjective with the same meaning was truthy, "characterized by truth."
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.
It is better to be transparent and truthful in situations like this because ultimately these kinds of issues come to the surface sooner or later.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 20, 2026
She based her decision on "a parallel analysis of several channels that have been posting truthful information for a long time."
From Barron's ● Aug. 16, 2026
He did say that if the information provided by either side is not truthful, then the client is entitled to get their money back.
From BBC ● Aug. 10, 2026
Admissions officers at Caltech and nationwide stress that the majority of applications are truthful.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 4, 2026
I thought about this a lot, to be truthful.
From "Wonder" by R. J. Palacio
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.
