truthiness

[ troo-thee-nis ]

/ ˈtru θi nɪs /

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noun

the quality of seeming to be true according to one's intuition, opinion, or perception without regard to logic, factual evidence, or the like: the growing trend of truthiness as opposed to truth.

Rare. truthfulness or faithfulness.

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CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?

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Question 1 of 7

Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Origin of truthiness

First recorded in 1820–30; def. 1 was coined in 2005 by Stephen Colbert (1964– ), U.S. comedian and TV host; truth + -y¹ + -ness

Words nearby truthiness

truth claim, truth-condition, truth drug, truthful, truth-function, truthiness, Truth is stranger than fiction, truth or consequences, truth serum, truth set, Truth, Sojourner

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use truthiness in a sentence

Truthiness is as truthiness does, and clearly: Acolyte Oren does truthiness very, very well.
Michael Oren's Truthiness|Emily L. Hauser|March 6, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Truth, truthiness, in this mass media cacophony we live in, comes up something for grabs.
Fire and Forget: After Homecoming, Veterans Collect Stories of War|Roy Scranton|November 26, 2012|DAILY BEAST
And by consumer and supplier agreement, no fact, factoid, or truthiness is too small to register.
Can the Heart and Blood-Pressure Pill Propranolol Cure Racism?|Kent Sepkowitz|March 13, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Rachel B.: Expose truthiness wherever it may be found in the statements of the candidates and the super-PACs.
#ColbertCash: What Should Stephen Colbert Do With His $1 Million in Super-PAC Money?|Brian Ries, Sam Schlinkert|January 31, 2012|DAILY BEAST

Are we so in thrall to "truthiness" that we need our exorcist movies to be dressed up with the patina of realness, as well?
What's Real in The Rite|Seth Colter Walls|January 31, 2011|DAILY BEAST

British Dictionary definitions for truthiness

truthiness

/ (ˈtruːθɪˌnəs) /

noun

informal (of a belief, etc) the quality of being considered to be true because of what the believer wishes or feels, regardless of the facts

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