untruthful

adjective

un·​truth·​ful ˌən-ˈtrüth-fəl How to pronounce untruthful (audio)
: not containing or telling the truth : false, inaccurate
an untruthful report
untruthfully adverb
untruthfulness noun
Choose the Right Synonym for untruthful

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 untruthful in a Sentence

an unintentionally untruthful statement that the candidate later corrected the political action committee was slammed for spreading untruthful smears about the candidate and his wife
Recent Examples on the Web The Assembly of Cuban Resistance, which works closely with Cuban exile communities, has denounced the film as untruthful. Winston Cho, The Hollywood Reporter, 24 Jan. 2024 Last week, on X, formerly Twitter, Ramaswamy listed many of the untruthful, deceptive, and conniving media headlines in years. Christopher Tremoglie, Washington Examiner, 11 Jan. 2024 The department determined Alcantara had engaged in criminal and immoral conduct and had been untruthful about the incidents in question. Lyndsay Winkley, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 Dec. 2023 However, one lens of criticism on the Left has involved unfair and untruthful smearing. Adam M. Carrington, National Review, 17 Dec. 2023 But mainly, some moms and dads feel quite strongly that involving Santa in their Christmas traditions amounts to being untruthful with their kids. Melissa Willets, Parents, 24 Nov. 2023 Meanwhile recent press reports suggest that Mr. Biden has been untruthful about a Justice investigation into his own handling of classified materials. James Freeman, WSJ, 18 Sep. 2023 Federal prosecutors alleged in a lawsuit last year that Cigna submitted inaccurate and untruthful codes for Medicare Advantage between 2016 and 2021. Khristopher J. Brooks, CBS News, 2 Oct. 2023 But as Galactica showed, these systems could also generate untruthful, biased and otherwise toxic information. Cade Metz, New York Times, 25 Sep. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'untruthful.' 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

circa 1843, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of untruthful was circa 1843

Dictionary Entries Near untruthful

Cite this Entry

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

Kids Definition

untruthful

adjective
un·​truth·​ful ˌən-ˈtrüth-fəl How to pronounce untruthful (audio)
ˈən-
: not containing or telling the truth : false, inaccurate
untruthful reports
untruthfully adverb
untruthfulness noun

More from Merriam-Webster on untruthful

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!