truth

[ trooth ]

/ truθ /

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See synonyms for truth on Thesaurus.com

noun, plural truths [troothz, trooths]. /truðz, truθs/.

the true or actual state of a matter: He tried to find out the truth.

conformity with fact or reality; verity: the truth of a statement.

a verified or indisputable fact, proposition, principle, or the like: mathematical truths.

the state or character of being true.

actuality or actual existence.

an obvious or accepted fact; truism; platitude.

(often initial capital letter) ideal or fundamental reality apart from and transcending perceived experience: the basic truths of life.

agreement with a standard or original.

accuracy, as of position or adjustment.

honesty; sincerity; truthfulness.

Archaic. fidelity or constancy.

SYNONYMS FOR truth

1 fact.

2 veracity.

9 precision, exactness.

10 openness, candor, frankness.

See synonyms for truth on Thesaurus.com

ANTONYMS FOR truth

1 falsehood.

2, 4, 10 falsity.

See antonyms for truth on Thesaurus.com

QUIZZES

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Question 1 of 7

“Was” is used for the indicative past tense of “to be,” and “were” is only used for the subjunctive past tense.

true

false

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Idioms for truth

in truth, in reality; in fact; actually: In truth, moral decay hastened the decline of the Roman Empire.

Origin of truth

First recorded before 900; Middle English treuthe, Old English trēowth (cognate with Old Norse tryggth “faith”); see true, -th¹

words often confused with truth

See truism.

OTHER WORDS FROM truth

truthless, adjectivetruth·less·ness, nounmis·truth, nounnon·truth, noun

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH truth

truism, truth (see confusables note at truism)

Words nearby truth

trustless, trustor, trust territory, trustworthy, trusty, truth, truth claim, truth-condition, truth drug, truthful, truth-function

Definition for truth (2 of 2)

Truth

[ trooth ]

/ truθ /

noun

So·journ·er

[soh-jur-ner, soh-jur-ner], /ˈsoʊ dʒɜr nər, soʊˈdʒɜr nər/, Isabella Van Wagener, 1797?–1883, U.S. abolitionist, orator, and women's-rights advocate, born into slavery.

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

VOCAB BUILDER

What is a basic definition of truth?

Truth means the actual state of a matter, an adherence to reality, or an indisputable fact. Truth has several other senses as a noun.

The truth refers to the version of reality that we exist in. Putting it more simply, if you are “telling the truth,” you are describing the world as it actually is and not making things up or telling lies.

Real-life examples: Police detectives try to discover the truth when investigating crimes so that they don’t arrest the wrong person. Criminals often hide or distort the truth so that they won’t get caught.
Used in a sentence: I told my mom I passed the test, but the truth was that I failed it badly.

In a related sense, truth can also mean an agreement with reality or facts.

Used in a sentence: We doubted that there was any truth to his claims of seeing Bigfoot.

Truth can also mean a fact or a statement that nobody disagrees with.

Used in a sentence: Parents often have to tell their kids sad truths when a pet dies.

Where does truth come from?

The first records of truth come from before the 900s. It comes from the Old English noun trēowth and is related to the Old Norse tryggth, meaning “faith.”

Did you know ... ?

What are some other forms related to truth?

truthful (adjective)
truthless (adjective)
truthlessness (noun)
half-truth (noun)
untruth (noun)

What are some synonyms for truth?

What are some words that share a root or word element with truth?

What are some words that often get used in discussing truth?

How is truth used in real life?

Truth is a very common word that means reality as it actually is or statements that describe reality correctly.

The plain truth is vaccination in the U.S. will take many months and won't magically end the pandemic.

— Dr. Tom Frieden (@DrTomFrieden) January 16, 2021

As a journalist or commentator, your job is not to maintain neutrality but to tell the truth. Neutrality is a judge's job, not yours.

— Ashok Swain (@ashoswai) January 16, 2021

The words we speak matter. That’s why I believe we need to speak words of truth and hope not only to ourselves but to others as well. Here are 20 things we should say more often if we want to make the world more positive: pic.twitter.com/6DzXSDzZtV

— Jon Gordon (@JonGordon11) February 5, 2021

Try using truth!

Is truth used correctly in the following sentence?

It was hard for him to face the truth that his cooking was bad because he had fooled himself into thinking he was a master chef.

Example sentences from the Web for truth

Yes, there are some signs the economy might be recovering, but the truth is, we’re just beginning to understand the pandemic’s full impact, and we don’t yet know what the virus has in store for us.
Why Coming Up With Effective Interventions To Address COVID-19 Is So Hard|Neil Lewis Jr. (nlewisjr@cornell.edu)|September 14, 2020|FiveThirtyEight
As they gain a foothold, you begin to wonder if there is some truth in them.
Believing in Monsters: David Livingstone Smith on the Subhuman - Facts So Romantic|Eric Schwitzgebel|September 11, 2020|Nautilus
By bringing an external source of truth in the form of how much it would cost to run a paid search campaign on the exact keyword portfolio, you highlight how valuable it is for other companies to grab the first results.
SEO proposals: Particular challenges and how to avoid getting a silent no|SEOmonitor|September 10, 2020|Search Engine Watch
Panpsychism also offers a solution to the even harder problem of how to ground objective truths about value.
The Universe Knows Right from Wrong - Issue 89: The Dark Side|Philip Goff|September 9, 2020|Nautilus

They don’t feel like they know enough to change their own lives, to change the country, when the truth is, they hold the power to be the difference.
Latinas vote at lower rates than other women. America Ferrera and Eva Longoria have a plan to close the turnout gap|ehinchliffe|September 5, 2020|Fortune
The simple, awful truth is that free speech has never been particularly popular in America.
How the PC Police Threaten Free Speech|Nick Gillespie|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Taraji manages to bring an equal measure of truth to the mother in her character.
‘Empire’ Review: Hip-Hop Musical Chairs with an Insane Soap Opera Twist|Judnick Mayard|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
The media tend to frame situations like this as aberrations, but in this case, quite the opposite is the truth.
Today’s GOP: Still Cool With Racist Pandering?|Michael Tomasky|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Their immediate response tells an important truth about a police slowdown that has spread throughout New York City in recent days.
Shot Down During the NYPD Slowdown|Michael Daly|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
And I need to ask why their truth makes me so defensive, as if my truth is the only truth.
In 2015, Let’s Try for More Compassion|Gene Robinson|January 4, 2015|DAILY BEAST
And to tell the truth, she couldn't help wishing he could see, so he could make the game livelier.
The Tale of Grandfather Mole|Arthur Scott Bailey
Truth is a torch, but one of enormous size; so that we slink past it in rather a blinking fashion for fear it should burn us.
Pearls of Thought|Maturin M. Ballou
We are apt to think of these little ones as doing right only when under compulsion: but this is far from the truth.
Children's Ways|James Sully
To be wiser than other men is to be honester than they; and strength of mind is only courage to see and speak the truth.
Pearls of Thought|Maturin M. Ballou
Nothing but an extreme love of truth could have hindered me from concealing this part of my story.
Gulliver's Travels|Jonathan Swift

British Dictionary definitions for truth

truth

/ (truːθ) /

noun

the quality of being true, genuine, actual, or factualthe truth of his statement was attested

something that is true as opposed to falseyou did not tell me the truth

a proven or verified principle or statement; factthe truths of astronomy

(usually plural) a system of concepts purporting to represent some aspect of the worldthe truths of ancient religions

fidelity to a required standard or law

faithful reproduction or portrayalthe truth of a portrait

an obvious fact; truism; platitude

honesty, reliability, or veracitythe truth of her nature

accuracy, as in the setting, adjustment, or position of something, such as a mechanical instrument

the state or quality of being faithful; allegiance

Other words from truth

Related adjectives: veritable, veracious

Derived forms of truth

truthless, adjective

Word Origin for truth

Old English triewth; related to Old High German gitriuwida fidelity, Old Norse tryggr true

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

Idioms and Phrases with truth

truth

In addition to the idioms beginning with truth

truth is stranger than fiction
truth will out

also see:

gospel truth
home truth
moment of truth
naked truth
unvarnished truth

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truth

noun, plural truths [troothz, trooths]. /truðz, truθs/.

SYNONYMS FOR truth

ANTONYMS FOR truth