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.
Humans are fallible, and few if any of us can claim to have “always” been truthful in life, so it may seem odd that Mr. Altman was pressed on this point.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 19, 2026
For Keyworth, this was central to making Death Valley feel truthful to modern Wales.
From BBC • May 19, 2026
“Nobody is muscling us. All I’ve got to do is show up and do the same thing that I’ve always done, which is be as truthful, and authentic and informed.”
From Los Angeles Times • May 10, 2026
She told the court she had made truthful statements about MacInnes and Ghost.
From Barron's • Apr. 28, 2026
They later told me just to be truthful so I didn’t upset any other kids.
From "Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus" by Dusti Bowling
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.
