veracious

American  

[vuh-rey-shuhs] / vəˈreɪ ʃəs /

adjective

1. habitually speaking the truth; truthful; honest.

   a veracious witness.

   Antonyms:

   mendacious

2. characterized by truthfulness; true, accurate, or honest in content.

   a veracious statement; a veracious account.

   Antonyms:

   mendacious

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veracious British  

/ vɛˈreɪʃəs /

adjective

1. habitually truthful or honest

2. accurate; precise

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Other Word Forms

• nonveracious
  adjective
• nonveraciously
  adverb
• nonveraciousness
  noun
• unveracious
  adjective
• unveraciously
  adverb
• unveraciousness
  noun
• veraciously
  adverb
• veraciousness
  noun

Etymology

Origin of veracious

First recorded in 1670–80; veraci(ty) + -ous

Explanation

Someone who is veracious speaks the truth — like your brutally honest friend who always lets you know what she thinks about your outfits, your hairstyle, your lasagna recipe, and your taste in movies. Think of a veracious person as someone who is like a witness under oath in a court of law, someone who speaks "the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth." Don’t ask a question of a veracious friend unless you really want to know the answer. The adjective veracious can be applied not just to people but also to things that are true or accurate, such as "a veracious story" or "a veracious statement."

Example Sentences

Consider the title of his website, a painfully veracious observation on contemporary texting behavior: “sayingsomethingsincerelyandendingitwith.lol.”

From New York Times • Jan. 14, 2022

And I got so in love with it that I just became a veracious reader.

From Slate • Oct. 19, 2017

For too long this film renders a portrait of a feminist artist in clown paint, though Tomlin hangs in with a veracious, multidimensional performance.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 20, 2015

I have always been a veracious reader and encourage OtterBox employees to do the same by keeping a library of the books that have most influenced the direction of the company in my office.

From Inc • Sep. 5, 2012

It is the veracious record of the haps and mishaps of a verdant land-lubber plunged into a whirl of unfamiliar duties at Pelham Bay, as told by a recruit who has been through the mill.

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