falsehood

noun

false·​hood ˈfȯls-ˌhu̇d How to pronounce falsehood (audio)
1
: an untrue statement : lie
2
: absence of truth or accuracy
3
: the practice of lying : mendacity

Examples of falsehood in a Sentence

the line between truth and falsehood the possibility of a perpetual motion machine is one falsehood that has been disproved by modern physics
Recent Examples on the Web So, losing one’s cool while trying to correct such deceitfulness is not only forgivable, showing emotion is a natural and necessary response to stop the spread of such falsehoods. Kwame Anthony Appiah, New York Times, 6 Mar. 2024 The falsehoods that Smirnov shared with his FBI handler in 2020, coupled with his extensive ties to Kremlin intelligence agencies, have fed into prosecutors’ portrayal of him as a walking vector of Russian disinformation. Matt Hamilton, Los Angeles Times, 26 Feb. 2024 Most of the Spanish-language misinformation about immigration that Latinos see on social media or listen to on the radio seems to largely mirror the falsehoods spread by right-wing media outlets in English, according to two groups tracking misinformation in Spanish. Nicole Acevedo, NBC News, 16 Feb. 2024 Nor will a cutoff of Ukraine aid result in more aid for the southern border or for poor U.S. communities — another falsehood spread by the bill’s opponents. Trudy Rubin, Twin Cities, 8 Feb. 2024 For their part, Meta and Google have reversed policies against election-rigging falsehoods and stopped punishing the politicians who spread them. Pranshu Verma, Washington Post, 12 Jan. 2024 Tech leaders at all levels across social media platforms should be part of the effort to tamp down fake traffic and stop the proliferation of falsehoods. Guy Tytunovich, Forbes, 28 Feb. 2024 Nowadays misinformation and fake news pose such a big problem because untrue statements get repeated through retweets, shares, etc. Sunstein: Recognizing the strength of the illusory truth effect can create a degree of inoculation to defend against falsehoods. Jessica Dulong, CNN, 23 Feb. 2024 The 2021 symposium was one of several ways Lindell amplified election-fraud falsehoods after Trump’s 2020 loss, The Post previously reported. Praveena Somasundaram, Washington Post, 22 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'falsehood.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of falsehood was in the 13th century

Dictionary Entries Near falsehood

Cite this Entry

“Falsehood.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/falsehood. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

falsehood

noun
false·​hood ˈfȯls-ˌhu̇d How to pronounce falsehood (audio)
1
: an untrue statement : lie
2
: the habit of lying

More from Merriam-Webster on falsehood

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