adjective
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telling or expressing the truth; honest or candid
-
realistic
a truthful portrayal of the king
Other Word Forms
- overtruthful adjective
- overtruthfully adverb
- overtruthfulness noun
- quasi-truthful adjective
- quasi-truthfully adverb
- semitruthful adjective
- semitruthfully adverb
- semitruthfulness noun
- truthfully adverb
- truthfulness noun
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.
In a recent interview, Ortiz said he chose not to inform police because he hadn’t believed that Hatley was being truthful.
From Slate • Apr. 6, 2026
Investors are becoming increasingly nervous about problems mounting in the $3 trillion private credit market where some creditworthiness is deteriorating in some sectors and truthful valuations are hard to ascertain.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 12, 2026
"Of course her work is going to be truthful."
From Barron's • Mar. 5, 2026
They said there was "one stray reference to primary residence" in a mortgage application for an apartment in Alabama, but noted that the file also contained "truthful and more specific disclosures about the property's use".
From BBC • Jan. 21, 2026
That meant that Anna was likely still in her house at 8:30—further evidence that Bryan had been truthful about taking her home.
From "Killers of the Flower Moon" by David Grann
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.
