1
as in delusion
a false idea or belief
their argument rests on a fundamental untruth which has long been discredited
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in lie
a statement known by its maker to be untrue and made in order to deceive
the Web site is rife with untruths and misleading information
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in deception
the quality or state of being false
there is an element of untruth in all forms of art: works of art provide only a semblance of reality
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of untruth
His newest book makes such fact-finding a key theme, demonstrating the instability of a political system grounded in untruth—and investigating how populist leaders can wield that for their own ends.
—
Robert Rubsam, The Atlantic, 18 Dec. 2025
Similar to how post-truth politics attacks the truth not through obfuscation but, by disseminating provable untruths, scorning the notion of a shareable, objectifiable reality, post-meaning makes a virtue of its emptiness.
—Literary Hub, 2 Dec. 2025
Trump is just straight-up doling out untruths – and blaming Biden.
—David Goldman, CNN Money, 4 Nov. 2025
An illusion endlessly repeated despite its demonstrable untruth ceases to be an illusion and becomes a lie; a lie endlessly retold can become second nature, so ingrained and instinctive as to detach from its origins and morph into self-delusion.
—Hussein Agha, Foreign Affairs, 16 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for untruth
Robert Rubsam, The Atlantic, 18 Dec. 2025
Similar to how post-truth politics attacks the truth not through obfuscation but, by disseminating provable untruths, scorning the notion of a shareable, objectifiable reality, post-meaning makes a virtue of its emptiness.
—Literary Hub, 2 Dec. 2025
Trump is just straight-up doling out untruths – and blaming Biden.
—David Goldman, CNN Money, 4 Nov. 2025
An illusion endlessly repeated despite its demonstrable untruth ceases to be an illusion and becomes a lie; a lie endlessly retold can become second nature, so ingrained and instinctive as to detach from its origins and morph into self-delusion.
—Hussein Agha, Foreign Affairs, 16 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for untruth
Recent Examples of Synonyms for untruth
Noun
-
The first type is replete with hallucinations and delusions—voices, visions, grandiose beliefs, paranoia.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 Apr. 2026
-
Over pinwheeling synths, Mahesh inhabits her narrator’s misplaced longing with gooey, heart-eyed delusion and sweetly pathetic determination.—
Harry Tafoya,
Pitchfork,
24 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
There's so much to see, from the Painted Desert in the north to the southern half of the drive, where most of the petrified wood lies.—
Patricia Doherty,
Travel + Leisure,
3 May 2026
-
The average score Sunday, with preferred lies, was 69.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
3 May 2026
Noun
-
Fascist propaganda works by distraction and deception.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
27 Apr. 2026
-
Meanwhile, Flores must continue to utilize deception to apply pressure on the opposing quarterback.—
Alec Lewis,
New York Times,
25 Apr. 2026
Noun
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With ‘Hold On To Your Angels,’ Benh has set his powerful mix of intense realism, myth, and magic against the large scale of an epic love story.—
Alex Ritman,
Variety,
7 May 2026
-
With ‘Hold on to Your Angels,’ Benh has set his powerful mix of intense realism, myth, and magic against the large scale of an epic love story.—
Brian Welk,
IndieWire,
7 May 2026
Noun
-
The most obvious answer was that the story, on a deeper level, needed to be timeless, a tale of a desperate person facing moral dilemmas of increasing extremity while trying to hold fast to their values.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
1 May 2026
-
The children participated in Disney+'s 2025 documentary Lost in the Jungle, which recounted their tale of survival, per The New York Times.—
Emily Blackwood,
PEOPLE,
1 May 2026
Noun
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Of course, the retort is that this would be irritating and exasperating to be continually deluged with alerts about AI deceptiveness.—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes.com,
24 Aug. 2025
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Beyond the deceptiveness of the narrow material view, spiritual light and hope are always present to be found and felt.—
Sue Brightman,
Christian Science Monitor,
3 Jan. 2025
Noun
-
Masks are slipping and illusions are fading.—
Valerie Mesa,
PEOPLE,
6 May 2026
-
The United States, searching for self-definition but loath to lose its illusions—its innocence—needed all of this as a counterpoint.—
Sebastian Smee,
New Yorker,
4 May 2026
Noun
-
Made in response to a difficult breakup, the work alludes to two lovers parting ways, but also to Pau’s memories of isolation as a severely asthmatic child in a notoriously polluted city, lying in bed staring at the wall and inventing stories to distract herself from the difficulty of breathing.—
Pauline J. Yao,
Artforum,
2 May 2026
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The $30 million, 28-story towers contained 3,000 rooms, an 18-hole rooftop miniature golf course complete with sand traps and its own hospital.—
Kori Rumore,
Chicago Tribune,
2 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Untruth.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/untruth. Accessed 8 May. 2026.
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