true

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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR true ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective, tru·er, tru·est.

being in accordance with the actual state or conditions; conforming to reality or fact; not false: a true story.

real; genuine; authentic: true gold; true feelings.

sincere; not deceitful: a true interest in someone's welfare.

firm in allegiance; loyal; faithful; steadfast: a true friend.

being or reflecting the essential or genuine character of something: the true meaning of his statement.

conforming to or consistent with a standard, pattern, or the like: a true copy.

exact; precise; accurate; correct: a true balance.

of the right kind; such as it should be; proper: to arrange things in their true order.

properly so called; rightly answering to a description: true statesmanship.

legitimate or rightful: the true heir.

reliable, unfailing, or sure: a true sign.

exactly or accurately shaped, formed, fitted, or placed, as a surface, instrument, or part of a mechanism.

honest; honorable; upright.

Biology. conforming to the type, norm, or standard of structure of a particular group; typical: The lion is a true cat.

Animal Husbandry. purebred.

Navigation. (of a bearing, course, etc.) determined in relation to true north.

Archaic. truthful.

noun

exact or accurate formation, position, or adjustment: to be out of true.

the true, something that is true; truth.

adverb

in a true manner; truly; truthfully.

exactly or accurately.

in conformity with the ancestral type: to breed true.

verb (used with object), trued, tru·ing or true·ing.

to make true; shape, adjust, place, etc., exactly or accurately: to true the wheels of a bicycle after striking a pothole.

(especially in carpentry) to make even, symmetrical, level, etc. (often followed by up): to true up the sides of a door.

Idioms

come true, to have the expected or hoped-for result; become a reality: She couldn't believe that her dream would ever come true.

Origin of true

before 900; Middle English trewe (adj. and adv.), Old English trēowe (adj.) loyal, trusty, honest (see trow, truce); akin to Dutch trouw, German treu, Old Norse tryggr, Gothic triggws

Related formstrue·ness, nounhalf-true, adjective

Synonyms for true

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR true ON THESAURUS.COM

1. factual, veracious. 3. honest. 4. trustworthy; staunch, constant, steady, unwavering. 7. faithful.

Synonym study

1. See real¹.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for truest

perfect, genuine, normal, truthful, accurate, honest, appropriate, legitimate, pure, proper, natural, authentic, correct, sincere, typical, right, straight, direct, kosher, wash

Examples from the Web for truest

Contemporary Examples of truest

The truest words at the funeral were those of young Jaden, as quoted by the governor.
Choking Back Tears, Thousands of Cops Honor Fallen Officer Ramos
Michael Daly
December 28, 2014
He had spoken about Rivers in the truest, most knowable way to her friends, loved ones, and colleagues.
I Was There: Inside Joan Rivers’ Funeral
Tim Teeman
September 8, 2014
In this way he was, in the truest and most honorable sense, a conservative.
American Dreams: Saul Bellow’s Masterpiece of Lamentation
Nathaniel Rich
July 27, 2014
If we were friends, I might have told you he was in rehab, and that would have been the truest possible answer.
Dealing With Dad the Dealer
Tony Doukopil
April 9, 2014
It is the truest story I ever read; it might be the best written.
Pete Dexter’s Indelible Portrait of Author Norman Maclean
Pete Dexter
March 23, 2014

Historical Examples of truest

She was truest to them in the season of trial, as all the quietly loyal and good will always be.
A Tale of Two Cities
Charles Dickens
They did not leave their homes, in the truest sense,—they brought them with them.
The Bay State Monthly, Vol. 1, Issue 1.
Various
I should call him a wise man, for to find out that tune is the truest wisdom.
Ranald Bannerman's Boyhood
George MacDonald
Their instincts about her must be the strongest, the truest.
A Spirit in Prison
Robert Hichens
And which of the three has the truest knowledge and the widest experience?
The Republic
Plato

British Dictionary definitions for truest

true

adjective truer or truest

not false, fictional, or illusory; factual or factually accurate; conforming with reality

(prenominal) being of real or natural origin; genuine; not synthetictrue leather

unswervingly faithful and loyal to friends, a cause, etca true follower
(as collective noun; preceded by the)the loyal and the true

faithful to a particular concept of truth, esp of religious trutha true believer

conforming to a required standard, law, or patterna true aim; a true fit

exactly in tunea true note

(of a compass bearing) according to the earth's geographical rather than magnetic polestrue north

biology conforming to the typical structure of a designated typesphagnum moss is a true moss, Spanish moss is not

physics not apparent or relative; taking into account all complicating factorsthe true expansion of a liquid takes into account the expansion of the container Compare apparent (def. 3)

not true informal unbelievable; remarkableshe's got so much money it's not true

true to life exactly comparable with reality

noun

correct alignment (esp in the phrases in true, out of true)

adverb

truthfully; rightly

precisely or unswervinglyhe shot true

biology without variation from the ancestral typeto breed true

verb trues, truing or trued

(tr) to adjust so as to make true

Derived Formstrueness, noun

Word Origin for true

Old English triewe; related to Old Frisian triūwe, Old Saxon, Old High German triuwi loyal, Old Norse tryggr; see trow, trust

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

Word Origin and History for truest

true

adj.

Old English triewe (West Saxon), treowe (Mercian) "faithful, trustworthy," from Proto-Germanic *trewwjaz "having or characterized by good faith" (cf. Old Frisian triuwi, Dutch getrouw, Old High German gatriuwu, German treu, Old Norse tryggr, Gothic triggws "faithful, trusty"), perhaps ultimately from PIE *dru- "tree," on the notion of "steadfast as an oak." Cf., from same root, Lithuanian drutas "firm," Welsh drud, Old Irish dron "strong," Welsh derw "true," Old Irish derb "sure."

Sense of "consistent with fact" first recorded c.1200; that of "real, genuine, not counterfeit" is from late 14c.; that of "agreeing with a certain standard" (as true north) is from c.1550. Of artifacts, "accurately fitted or shaped" it is recorded from late 15c.; the verb in this sense is from 1841. True-love (adj.) is recorded from late 15c.; true-born first attested 1590s. True-false as a type of test question is recorded from 1923.

Idioms and Phrases with truest

true

In addition to the idioms beginning with true

true blue
true colors
true to

also see:

come true
course of true love
dream come true
find true north
hold good (true)
ring false (true)
run (true) to form
too good to be true
tried and true