falsehood

[fawls-hood]

noun

1. a false statement; lie.

   Synonyms: story, fiction, invention, canard, falsification, prevarication, fabrication

2. something false; an untrue idea, belief, etc..

   The Nazis propagated the falsehood of racial superiority.

3. the act of lying or making false statements.

4. lack of conformity to truth or fact.

   Synonyms: mendacity, inveracity, untruthfulness

5. Obsolete.,  deception.

falsehood

/ ˈfɔːlsˌhʊd /

noun

1. the quality of being untrue

2. an untrue statement; lie

3. the act of deceiving or lying

Word History and Origins

Origin of falsehood¹

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English falsehead, falshede; false, -hood

Synonym Study

Falsehood, fib, lie, untruth refer to something untrue or incorrect. A falsehood is a statement that distorts or suppresses the truth, in order to deceive: to tell a falsehood about one's ancestry in order to gain acceptance. A fib denotes a trivial falsehood, and is often used to characterize that which is not strictly true: a polite fib. A lie is a vicious falsehood: to tell a lie about one's neighbor. An untruth is an incorrect statement, either intentionally misleading (less harsh, however, than falsehood or lie) or arising from misunderstanding or ignorance: I'm afraid you are telling an untruth.

Example Sentences

They spread the falsehoods that Smartmatic software was used in Dominion voting machines and altered millions of votes.

From Los Angeles Times

The lawyers also criticized Essayli for posting on X, “before we had even officially been notified of the outcome of the indictment” and using it “to maliciously spread falsehoods and fearmonger at our client’s expense.”

From Los Angeles Times

The president’s addiction to hate and division, promoted through blatant and unabashed falsehoods, has persisted since the days of the attack in Central Park.

From Salon

But he argues police are in an impossible situation because social media is fast moving, and officers need to quash falsehoods as quickly as possible.

From BBC

On Monday, in remarks filled with falsehoods and misleading statements, the president announced a federal takeover of Washington, D.C.’s Metropolitan Police Department to root out “crime, bloodshed, bedlam and squalor.”

From Salon

Related Words

• cover-up 
• deceit 
• deception 
• dishonesty 
• distortion 
• fabrication 
• fakery 
• fallacy 
• falsity 
• misstatement www.thesaurus.com
• perjury 
• prevarication 
• sham 
• tall tale 
• untruth