veracious

adjective

ve·​ra·​cious və-ˈrā-shəs 

1

: truthful, honest

2

: marked by truth : accurate

veraciously adverb

veraciousness noun

Did you know?

Veracious or voracious?

Take care to distinguish between the near-homophones veracious and voracious, whose similarities in sound mask utterly different meanings. Veracious (“honest, truthful”), like its cousins veritable, verify, and very, concerns that which is true. Voracious (”having a greedy or insatiable appetite”), on the other hand, describes the urge to consume large quantities of something, often food, books, or ideas. One way to remember the difference is that the one with the E as its second letter means "truE," and the one with the O as its second letter means "ravenOus." Not coincidentally, these adjectives have near-homophonous noun derivatives: veracity ("truthfulness") and voracity ("the quality or state of being voracious").

Synonyms

• honest
• truthful

Examples of veracious in a Sentence

he has a reputation for being veracious, so people generally take his word for things

most readers have accepted the book as a veracious account of Samuel Johnson's table talk

Recent Examples on the Web

Their veracious portrayal was well received at Sundance, where Mehiel made history as the first trans actor to win the U.S. Dramatic Special Jury Award for Acting. —Brande Victorian, The Hollywood Reporter, 15 June 2023

On the other hand, could NZBA recommend inviting climate scientists to their boards to understand better the veracious nature of the risks faced and the appropriate mitigation paths to be considered? —Frank Van Gansbeke, Forbes, 4 Nov. 2021

As for elephant riding, the ACEWG notes that while veracious studies have not been conducted on elephants specifically, it is known that horses, dogs, and donkeys have a weight-carrying capacity of about 20-to-25 percent of their body weight. —Ashlea Halpern, Condé Nast Traveler, 18 Oct. 2018

Word History

Etymology

Latin vērāc-, vērāx "truthful" + -ious — more at very entry 2

First Known Use

circa 1677, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

veracious

adjective

ve·​ra·​cious və-ˈrā-shəs 

1

: telling the truth : truthful, honest

2

: being truthful or accurate

a veracious account of the events

veraciously adverb