Meanings
plural untruths
- countableuncountableA lie or falsehood.
Herald The prince was swept from the sight of the Achaean host—himself, and his ship likewise. ’Tis no untruth I tell.
1926, Herbert Weir Smyth, “Agamemnon”, in Aeschylus, with an English translation, volume II, page 552 more examples
He added: "We've always had spin, especially from Government. But this is not spin. This is dishonesty and so it's our rail media's urgent responsibility to call it out because non-specialist journalists across the country will report this and gradually these untruths will be accepted.
2022 January 26, Paul Stephen, “Network News: Government's IRP claims condemned as "dishonest"”, in RAIL, number 949, page 7It may tell you that the official currency of Switzerland is the euro (it’s actually the Swiss franc) or that Mark Twain’s Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County could not only jump but talk. A.I. researchers call this generation of untruths “hallucination.”
2023 January 10, Cade Metz, “A.I. Is Becoming More Conversational. But Will It Get More Honest?”, in The New York Times, →ISSN, archived from the original on 14 Mar 2023 - countableuncountableThe condition of being false; truthlessness.
Synonyms & antonyms
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Proto-West Germanic*untriuwiþu
- Old Englishuntrēowþ
- Middle Englishuntreuth
- Englishuntruth
Inherited from Middle English untreuth, from Old English untrēowþ and unġetrēowþ, from Proto-West Germanic *untriuwiþu and *ungatriuwiþu, equivalent to un- + truth. Cognate with Old High German ungitriuwida.
More words from Middle English, Old English, Proto-West Germanic
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Ancient Greek ψεῦδος
- ψεῦδος (pseûdos)lie or falsehood
Bulgarian лъжа, неистина
- лъжа (lăža)lie or falsehood
- неистина (neistina)lie or falsehood
- погрешност (pogrešnost)the condition of being false
Czech nepravda
- nepravdalie or falsehood
Danish usandhed
- usandhedlie or falsehood
Finnish valhe, epätotuus
- valhelie or falsehood
- epätotuusthe condition of being false
French mensonge, menterie
- mensongelie or falsehood
- menterielie or falsehood
- contrevéritélie or falsehood
German Unwahrheit
- Unwahrheitlie or falsehood
Hungarian valótlanság, hazugság
- valótlanságlie or falsehood
- hazugságlie or falsehood
Irish ainfhírinne, ainbhfíor
- ainfhírinnelie or falsehood
- ainbhfíorlie or falsehood
Italian bugia, falsità
- bugialie or falsehood
- falsitàlie or falsehood
Norwegian Bokmål usannhet
- usannhetlie or falsehood
Portuguese inverdade
- inverdadelie or falsehood
Russian непра́вда
- непра́вда (neprávda)lie or falsehood
Swedish osanning
- osanninglie or falsehood
Welsh anwiredd
- anwireddlie or falsehood
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with untruth
Cite this entry
untruth. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/untruth
“untruth.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/untruth. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “untruth,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/untruth.
Source: untruth on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.