mendacious

adjective

men·​da·​cious men-ˈdā-shəs 

: given to or characterized by deception or falsehood or divergence from absolute truth

mendacious tales of his adventures

mendaciously adverb

mendaciousness noun

Did you know?

Mendacious and lying have very similar meanings, but the two are not interchangeable. Mendacious is more formal and literary, suggesting a deception harmless enough to be considered somewhat bland. Lying is more blunt, accusatory, and often confrontational. You might yell, "You lying rat!" in an argument, but you would most likely stick to the more diplomatic, "Aren't you being somewhat mendacious?" in a business meeting. Mendacious can also imply habitual untruthfulness, whereas lying is more likely to be used to identify specific instances of dishonesty.

Synonyms

• dishonest
• lying
• untruthful

Choose the Right Synonym for mendacious

dishonest, deceitful, mendacious, untruthful mean unworthy of trust or belief.

dishonest implies a willful perversion of truth in order to deceive, cheat, or defraud.

a swindle usually involves two dishonest people

deceitful usually implies an intent to mislead and commonly suggests a false appearance or double-dealing.

the secret affairs of a deceitful spouse

mendacious may suggest bland or even harmlessly mischievous deceit and when used of people often suggests a habit of telling untruths.

mendacious tales of adventure

untruthful stresses a discrepancy between what is said and fact or reality.

an untruthful account of their actions

Examples of mendacious in a Sentence

Indeed, the racist and Malthusian elements in Darwin's work are subjects on which the new secularists are either silent, delicate, or mendacious. —Eugene McCarraher, Commonweal, 15 June 2007

A choice item in the collection of mendacious stories that were circulated about Columbus after his death is this. Columbus lost himself on the way to Hispaniola, and only by virtue of letters and pilots sent by Martín Alonso did he manage to find the island and join Pinta. —Samuel Eliot Morison, Admiral of the Ocean Sea, 1942

Mildred had become great friends with her and had given her an elaborate but mendacious account of the circumstances which had brought her to the pass she was in. —W. Somerset Maugham, Of Human Bondage, 1915

The newspaper story was mendacious and hurtful.

that tabloid routinely publishes the most moronically mendacious stories about celebrities

Recent Examples on the Web

Two stand out: his profile and endorsement, in 2000, of Ralph Nader’s independent presidential campaign, and his early opposition to George W. Bush’s disastrous and mendacious invasion of Iraq. —Yiyun Li, Harper's Magazine, 23 Sep. 2024

The candidate vying for a second White House stint — in the midst of his third overall campaign — has accumulated a long list of acts who do not want to be associated with his divisive, frequently mendacious rhetoric. —Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 15 Oct. 2024

After a similarly poor, though far less mendacious, performance from Biden in the Presidential debate, leaders in his party demanded that the President exit the race. —Susan B. Glasser, The New Yorker, 8 Aug. 2024

Florida’s mendacious leaders only darken the nightmare. —Jake Cline, Washington Post, 8 July 2024

Word History

Etymology

Latin mendac-, mendax — more at amend

First Known Use

1616, in the meaning defined above

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Kids Definition

mendacious

adjective

men·​da·​cious men-ˈdā-shəs 

: apt to tell lies

mendaciously adverb

mendacity

men-ˈdas-ət-ē

noun