as in dishonest
telling or containing lies
that lying son of a gun told me that the used car had never been in an accident
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in deception
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in deceiving
to make a statement one knows to be untrue
would I lie to you about that?
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
2
as in sitting
to occupy a place or location
I left the book lying on the counter
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in hiding
to remain out of sight
paparazzi were lying in wait outside the restaurant, a well-known celebrity hangout
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of lying
Kenan Draughorne, Los Angeles Times, 14 Jan. 2022
Carol Marbin Miller, Miami Herald, 8 Jan. 2025
Advertisement Upon entry to the hotel room, police found a 24-year-old woman lying dead with evidence of recent injuries.
—Terry Castleman, Los Angeles Times, 7 Jan. 2025
Pino’s camera records Richard lying facedown, handcuffed, while Blum steps over his legs.
—Carol Marbin Miller, Miami Herald, 8 Jan. 2025
Advertisement Upon entry to the hotel room, police found a 24-year-old woman lying dead with evidence of recent injuries.
—Terry Castleman, Los Angeles Times, 7 Jan. 2025
Others say police, when faced with lying criminals out to do harm, must sometimes lie and pressure them in the interests of public safety.
—Anita Chabria, Los Angeles Times, 23 Dec. 2024
Some policing experts say that, properly used, the method can elicit truth from criminals who are lying.
—Anita Chabria, Los Angeles Times, 23 Dec. 2024
Others say police, when faced with lying criminals out to do harm, must sometimes lie and pressure them in the interests of public safety.
—Anita Chabria, Los Angeles Times, 23 Dec. 2024
And many training companies operating in California now advise against long interrogations and a reliance on lying and manipulation — though lying still remains a tactic police are allowed to use.
—Anita Chabria, Los Angeles Times, 23 Dec. 2024
Adjective
He was found dead lying face up on his hotel bed with no signs of trauma, according to a Monday report from the Orange County Sheriff’s Office in Florida.
—Kenan Draughorne, Los Angeles Times, 14 Jan. 2022
Verb
Pino’s camera records Richard lying facedown, handcuffed, while Blum steps over his legs.
—Carol Marbin Miller, Miami Herald, 8 Jan. 2025
Advertisement Upon entry to the hotel room, police found a 24-year-old woman lying dead with evidence of recent injuries.
—Terry Castleman, Los Angeles Times, 7 Jan. 2025
Pino’s camera records Richard lying facedown, handcuffed, while Blum steps over his legs.
—Carol Marbin Miller, Miami Herald, 8 Jan. 2025
Advertisement Upon entry to the hotel room, police found a 24-year-old woman lying dead with evidence of recent injuries.
—Terry Castleman, Los Angeles Times, 7 Jan. 2025
Others say police, when faced with lying criminals out to do harm, must sometimes lie and pressure them in the interests of public safety.
—Anita Chabria, Los Angeles Times, 23 Dec. 2024
Some policing experts say that, properly used, the method can elicit truth from criminals who are lying.
—Anita Chabria, Los Angeles Times, 23 Dec. 2024
Others say police, when faced with lying criminals out to do harm, must sometimes lie and pressure them in the interests of public safety.
—Anita Chabria, Los Angeles Times, 23 Dec. 2024
And many training companies operating in California now advise against long interrogations and a reliance on lying and manipulation — though lying still remains a tactic police are allowed to use.
—Anita Chabria, Los Angeles Times, 23 Dec. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lying
Adjective
-
Perhaps Simpson’s most dishonest claim was that Social Security’s drafters deliberately set the retirement age at 65 because life expectancy in 1935, at the time of enactment, was 63.—
Michael Hiltzik,
Los Angeles Times,
19 Mar. 2025
-
Higher-ups and colleagues see through the charade as dishonest.—
Bryan Robinson,
Forbes,
2 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
In the beginning, each player is secretly assigned as either a Faithful or a Traitor, setting the stage for an intense game of deception, strategy and survival.—
Jordana Comiter,
People.com,
7 Mar. 2025
-
After weeks of treachery and deception, the final roundtable has been viewed, and the winner or winners for The Traitors Season 3 have been revealed.—
Armando Tinoco,
Deadline,
6 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
The Washington Post previously reported that DOGE wants to check federal benefits spending against tax records, which could help Musk's team identify duplicative or erroneous payments.—
arkansasonline.com,
arkansasonline.com,
14 Mar. 2025
-
There were also erroneous reports regarding the Seven Dwarfs.—
James Hibberd,
The Hollywood Reporter,
12 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
Her unsettling command of the character — who was equal parts sweet, vulnerable, mendacious, and menacing — was one of the highlights of the series.—
Jake Kanter,
Deadline,
24 Dec. 2024
-
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
Noun
-
Winfrey and Goldberg had become intra-racial foes — no longer likable examples of black American excellence but strident political operatives who exuded exceptional dishonesty: That Quincy intro lacked sisterhood.—
Armond White,
National Review,
7 Mar. 2025
-
Accept temporary discomfort as evidence of expanding your leadership abilities, not as a sign of personal dishonesty.—
Harrison Monarth,
Forbes,
5 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw the United States from the Paris climate agreement on June 1 was terribly misguided, and his justification for doing so was misleading and untruthful.—
Robert N. Stavins,
Foreign Affairs,
5 June 2017
-
What is more untruthful: A thing written down, or a sustained deception of the heart?—
Nicolette Polek,
Harper's Magazine,
2 July 2024
Noun
-
But conservatism ought not to be equated with populist buffoonery and mendacity.—
Jay Nordlinger,
National Review,
14 Oct. 2024
-
And mendacity and brutality and remorseless destruction of people’s lives.—
Taylor Antrim,
Vogue,
10 Oct. 2024
Adjective
-
As part of the scheme, prosecutors said Bock and Said submitted false documentation to the Minnesota Department of Education, including fraudulent meal counts and fake attendance rosters.—
Thao Nguyen,
USA TODAY,
20 Mar. 2025
-
The pivotal addition to the the state Civil Code reads: Existing law provides that libel is a false and unprivileged written publication that injures the reputation and that slander is a false and unprivileged publication, orally uttered, that injures the reputation, as specified.—
Dominic Patten,
Deadline,
20 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Lying.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lying. Accessed 23 Mar. 2025.
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